Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Exhibitions to showcase impact on stakeholders

Exhibitions to showcase impact on stakeholders

Welcome to issue 5 of the Hindhead News. In this issue we explain some of the positive changes we have made to the scheme as part of a thorough review of the scheme and its impacts.

The development of the scheme has now reached an important milestone, which will be marked by an exhibition in July, including physical and virtual reality models.Dates and times are on the back of the newsletter.

This is your chance to see and comment on the scheme before we publish the draft Orders and Environmental Statement in October 2003 as part of the formal process to obtain the legal powers to construct the scheme. When we publish draft Orders we will hold a further exhibition, ensuring your constant participation in the process.

We hope that by showing the scheme to you now, and inviting your comments, we may be able to address your concerns about the scheme, so that the Public Inquiry, expected to be held in June 2004, can focus on other major issues.

Tunnel safety is a No.1 priority

This diagram highlights the latest safety features which will be included in the A3 Hindhead tunnel. The A3 Team takes expert advice from a tunnel safety group, which includes representatives of the emergency services and the local highway authorities. This group meets regularly to discuss how the tunnel will be equipped, maintained and operated, including traffic management and incident response procedures.

What Where When

The new A3 website provides an important new link between the A3 Team and residents and roads users. It may be accessed through the Highways Agency's website, or alternatively you can use its own direct link: http://www.a3-hindhead.co.uk/

There is plenty to be found on the site including:

• An overview of the scheme
• Scheme history and background
• Maps
• Traffic surveys
• Environmental information
• The case for closing the old A3

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Answers to recent queries

Here are answers to some of the most recent concerns and questions raised with the A3 Team.

Accidents and breakdowns in the tunnel will cause more disruption than now

Accidents that might occur in the tunnel would have much less effect than now:

• Breakdowns or minor accidents, which now block traffic completely in one direction on the old road, would only block one lane of two on the new road, allowing traffic to flow through, albeit at a reduced speed and volume. An accident, which now blocks traffic in both directions on the old road, is likely to in future only block one direction on the new road.
• State-of-the-art traffic control and surveillance equipment in the tunnel and its approaches means quicker attendance by breakdown vehicles and/or emergency services.

Emergency vehicles will have difficulty reaching a major accident blocking a tunnel

Emergency services and breakdown vehicles would find it much easier to reach an incident along the new dual carriageway road than along the existing single carriageway road. In particular, they would be able to use hard-shoulders at the immediate approaches to each of the tunnels to quickly bypass traffic queues.

If necessary, they could initially enter the non-incident tunnel bore and use cross passages to get to the incident. Alternatively, under police control, they could reach a major incident by entering from the opposite direction - the road ahead of a total blockage would be clear of traffic.

The Hazel Grove Junction roundabouts will become congested and the junction is too close to the tunnel

The design capacity of each roundabout is at least twice that needed to cater for the traffic forecasts in 20 years' time, during both the morning and evening peak hours. This is because the sizes of the roundabouts are dictated by safety considerations rather than their traffic capacity.

The southern exit slip taper would start about 200 metres from thetunnel exit. With adequate signing and the excellent visibility available at this location, our safety specialists do not see this to be a significant problem. Studies of other tunnels in the UK and overseas show that slip roads are frequently constructed closer to portals than they would be at Hindhead.

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Progress

The ground investigation is complete for the time being, although we have planned further localised work in the autumn.

Ecological surveys are ongoing and we have carried out a comprehensive visual impact survey so that we can determine the impact on views from nearby properties. This has included flying red meteorological balloons to show heights of embankments and lighting columns where the new road is above existing ground near the portals. Details of all our surveys will be reported in the Environmental Statement, due to be published in October 2003.

We have also been concentrating on the design of the scheme in the area of the portals,to ensure that the tunnel entrance and services buildings complement their surroundings. Landscape proposals are also being prepared to integrate the scheme into the local landscape.

Finally, we are working hard on exhibition material, the preparation of the draft Orders and obtaining all the necessary Highways Agency internal approvals in time for the draft Order publication in October.

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Programme

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Public Exhibitions

The Highways Agency is staging local exhibitions to display and explain the latest proposals for the A3 Hindhead scheme. Staff from the A3 Team will be present to explain the proposals and answer questions. All are welcome, entry is free.

Thursday July 17 and Friday July 18 - 2.00pm-9.00pm
The Royal British Legion Hall in Beacon Hill Road, Beacon Hill

Saturday July 19 - 10.00am-4.00pm
Grayshott Village Hall, Headley Road, Grayshott

For more information, contact the Highways Agency on: 01306 878475

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