Life in and around Headington & OX3 (mostly), and Oxford (occasionally)
"To every complex problem there is a simple solution, startling in its simplicity, piercing in its clarity, and hopelessly and completely wrong" - Gore Vidal.
This post is really a formality to record that the roadworks to lay the heatpipe between the JR and Churchill Hospitals are now complete. All the machinery is gone, the roads have been reinstated, and the only signs of all the disruption are stretches of new black tarmac which will soon fade.
The last road to be affected was Churchill Drive, and work there finished about ten days ago. To prove it, here’s a picture taken today.
Churchill Drive after the heatpipe work was completed, June 2017
I’ve moved the full story of the Headington Heatpipe to this website’s archive.
No street parties. No bunting. No councillors or retiring MPs cutting ribbons. Just these two low-key tweets told us that all the heatpipe roadworks in Headington’s residential streets are finished.
The Fat Lady isn’t going to sing for another few weeks though. Work on Churchill Drive is still causing traffic delays and diversions. This work is due to finish on 26 May. Expect a loud aria to be heard throughout Headington!
At the latest liaison meeting with Vital Energi we learned that the pipe-laying operation is slightly behind schedule but with no serious problems. Most of the delays are due to congested services and other underground problems that couldn’t be detected before the digging started. The contractors have also done some repair work to the surface water drains in Lime Walk which were blocked or broken. Here is the latest schedule, which is always kept up to date on the Hospital website.
Work schedule issued 23 Feb 2017
We also heard details of how the London Road work will be managed. Traffic lights will be set west of Sandfield Road and east of Latimer Road. Two of the three lanes will be closed, with all traffic confined to the remainng single lane. The Latimer side will be closed first with all traffic using the eastbound bus lane; then the system will be switched so traffic runs on the westbound lane.
Both Latimer and Sandfield Roads will be closed at their junctions with the London Road for the duration of this work, with diversions set up for traffic needing access.
