Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Wightman Road closure from 11th August
Thanks to Cllr Seema Chandawani for the following, suggesting a two-week closure of Wightman Road.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Geraldine B on
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THANK YOU Hugh, as a Burgoynite this is very useful to know. xG
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is that date in last para of 24 August 2020 a typo?
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Permalink Reply by Dick Harris on
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I have not been to look at the present diggings but the briefing note suggest that they are in the roadway not under the footway. This could well mean that the leak is from a medium pressure gas main. If so, it is a more serious matter than the numerous leaks we used to have which were from the old cast iron low pressure mains that were mostly under the footways and which were largely replaced during the 2016 closure of Wightman Road.
In August 2018 my response to the Council consultation on the present Wightman Road layout included the following paragraph:
"In my view, Haringey Council needs to take a far more rigorous approach to the control of what vehicles should and should not be permitted to traverse Wightman/Alroy. To re-inforce my concern I can report a dialogue I had with an engineer who worked on the diversion of services while the Wightman Road railway bridge was rebuilt. He said that the medium pressure gas main runs under the carriageway and is made of cast iron. In his view, it was liable to be disturbed by heavy traffic because of the poor load bearing capacity of the road. If this view turns out to be justified, the first leak will be a serious matter. Not merely because of the danger from the gas but because it will mean the same potential danger exists over the entire length of the road. At the very least, Jewsons' depot should be removed from Wightman Road as soon as possible as it is the main source and destination of heavy vehicles that are legally permitted on this road."
This was not the first time that this risk had been mentioned to Haringey Council but I have never heard a reaction from any responsible officer.
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Permalink Reply by Gordon T on
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High risk of speeding wrong-way traffic on Umfreville Road, given the closure point. Look out!
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As of 10.30 this morning, the road is restricted to a single lane at the junction, with temporary lights in place. Given the works under the bridge on GL, a full closure would have been chaotic.
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Road is now closed to entry northbound at Endymion Rd roundabout, diverted traffic down Endymion Rd or u-turning. Exit from Alroy Rd is permitted.
Road is now closed to entry southbound at Fairfax Rd and Hampden Rd. Travel northbound e.g from westbound Ladder roads unimpeded.
The work under the Green Lanes bridge had been removed by 1500 - I think they're only allowed out-of-peak-hours working.
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As I was passing the diggings on Friday, I asked whether the leak was in the medium pressure main. The answer was "we thought it was at first but when we opened up the road we couldn't find the source in that main. The gas seemed to be coming from the direction of the traffic signals." I asked whether the alert had come from the automatic leak detectors that I believe monitor the medium pressure mains. I was told, no, the report was from someone smelling gas in the street. This all points to a leak in a low pressure main somewhere nearby. When this happens, the gas often flows underground along ducting belonging to some other service (eg BT or the power cables to the traffic lights) and emerges some distance away from the source. Cadent were right to be nervous but it seems their fears (and mine) were probably groundless.
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For some weeks before this work there were barriers round an oblong hatch (BT?) by the door of the flats in Station Approach, with the hatch propped open at a slight angle. These though were Cadent's barriers and signs, not BT, to my puzzlement - no longer!.
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Oh well, even a week's Wightman closure to combustion engines, scaffolding lorries and Jewson is something to be grateful for, I suppose.
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