As promised, I met TfL and Essex & Suffolk Water to get more info on what’s caused the delay to the reopening of Gallows Corner and what happens next.
The physical works are broadly there or thereabouts, but when ramping up the water pressure to test the new water main, ESW identified a leak which now needs to be located and fixed before the new main can be fully brought into service. This means the road cannot be fully reopened until the leak is found and repaired.
Discussions turned to whether any part of Gallows can be reopened while that job is underway. TfL has been putting together options, that include potential use of the new flyover itself. These are being interrogated by Havering Council, whose sign off is needed. They will want to know whether there is a chance of creating different traffic snarl ups if the existing arrangements are changed. Nobody wants to make matters worse than they already are.
I have asked for those plans to be shared as quickly as possible so that pressure can be eased on the local road network.
So the next steps are:
- Find the leak (underway while we were in the meeting)
- Repair it and finish testing
- Bring the new water main online
- Decommission the old main
- TfL and ESW final coordinating works to close down the site before reopening the road network
Once the new main is commissioned and connected, ESW expects to be off site within a week. TfL would then need around a further week to complete its own works.
This continues to cost local business and residents and I asked that the seriousness of this situation is fed directly back to the Mayor should he want to find other ways to support those affected. TfL agreed to escalate that to the Deputy Mayor for Transport. ESW made clear that they were redirecting the water main at the behest of TfL so the question of any compensatory measures was for TfL.
I will keep pressing all parties for a clear reopening plan and for any safe partial reopening to happen as soon as possible.
