Please provide information regarding the current roadworks (12 August 2023) at the junction of the B3181 and Parkers Cross at Pinhoe, Exeter which have resulted in temporary 3-way traffic lights.
1. Why was no advanced notice given of these works?
They were unplanned reactive works under an ‘Immediate’ street works permit. The promoter has the legal right to access their apparatus and is only required to provide notification to the street authority within 2 hours of commencing.
2. Why has no expected completion date being given?
Details of a completion date in such circumstances may not be known at the point the works commence until it is fully evaluated.
3. What is the purpose of these works?
The works were for tracing and repairing a gas escape and permanently reinstating where possible.
4. Why for the great majority of the time are these works not attended by workmen?
The utility has confirmed the site was staffed for the traffic lights over the weekend. Once repairs are completed the substances used in the repair with gas pipes require time to cure. Once done, a test is conducted before the reinstatement. The reinstatement top coat also requires time to cure before vehicles can travel over the reinstatement surface. The length of that curing time varies depending on the road type and the associated depth of the top coat required.
5. Why have these works having to be repeated after a seemingly identical set of work earlier this year?
These works were unplanned and reactive to undertake a repair. The previous works were planned and undertaken as part of the gas industry’s regulatory ‘Iron Main Risk Reduction Programme’ to replace all metallic mains with other material.