We know that during the coronavirus outbreak, our communities will rely on us now more than ever to keep them safe and warm. The safety of our communities and our employees will remain our number one priority in the weeks and months ahead.
We need to carry out safety-critical work to upgrade the gas network in your area. This needs to go ahead now, rather than wait until the pandemic passes, to ensure your local community continues to receive a safe and reliable gas supply.
Following close consultation with Merton Council, our project will start on Monday 16 November. The work will be split into phases with the first four phases lasting approximately 29 weeks. We have further work to undertake in late 2021 and beyond. We're liasing closely with the council to plan these works and will provide details once this has been confirmed.
Phase one - The Drive and Seddon Road
We'll start our work in The Drive at its junctions with Leonard Avenue and Seddon Road. To ensure everyone’s safety around our site, we’ll need to close Leonard Avenue at the junction with The Drive. Signed diversions will be in place via The Drive, Victory Avenue, Ravensbury Avenue and Florence Avenue.
During this time, we’ll also be working on Seddon Road from The Drive towards Edward Avenue. We’ll install temporary multi-way lights around our work area in The Drive and Seddon Road to maintain traffic flow.
This phase is expected to last approximately six weeks.
Phase two - The Drive
We’ll progress southwards along The Drive to work from the junction with Florence Avenue towards Leominster Road. Florence Avenue will be closed around our site for approximately three weeks while we carry out this section of network upgrades. A signed diversion will be in place via Leonard Avenue.
Our temporary multi-way lights will move along The Drive/Lilleshall Road as we progress southbound.
This second phase of work will take approximately eight weeks to complete.
Phase three – Leominster Road
In March 2021, we will be working on Leominster Road at the junction with Lessness Road. For everyone’s safety, we’ll need to close both roads at this junction. Signed diversions will be in place via Malmesbury Road, Merevale Close and Lilleshall Road.
Phase three will last approximately three weeks.
Phase four – Seddon Road
For the fourth phase of our replacement work, our engineers will return to Seddon Road working from the junction with Edward Avenue towards A217 Bishopsford Road. Traffic flow will be maintained via give and take. The safety of the site will be closely monitored by the team and if deemed necessary, we will install temporary multi-way lights to complete sections of the work.
This phase is expected to last approximately 12 weeks.
Pedestrian access to homes and businesses will be maintained with social distancing.
We’re working closely with UK Government and public health bodies to make sure we work safely and in line with expert advice during the coronavirus outbreak. We have extra safety precautions in place to protect our colleagues and our customers from catching or spreading the virus as we carry out our safety-critical project.
We understand that people can get frustrated by roadworks. However, the new plastic pipe has a minimum lifespan of 80 years. This means that when our work in Morden is complete, residents and businesses will continue to enjoy the benefits of safe and reliable gas supply for many years to come.