Major Works to Replace A40 Bridges

Lane changes will start September 1st

Road works on the A40 are to require changes to traffic flow on a congested section of the road.

The next stage in a long-term scheme is to replace two bridges on the A40, which cross over the railway lines at Wales Farm Road and Perryn Road in Acton. Work will begin on 1 September.

Due to these works, there will be a number of changes to the lane layout on the A40 Western Avenue.
 
The bridges, which were originally built during the late 1920s, were not designed to manage today's traffic levels of more than 100,000 vehicles a day.

The two new bridges will help secure the structural safety for the next 120 years according to Transport for London and provide a modern carriageway and safer highway layout for drivers, as well as ensure the safety of the railway tracks below the bridges that handle all rail networks in and out of Paddington.

These include the Heathrow Express and First Great Western trains, with more than 800 trains, transporting 145,000 passengers a day.

The new bridges have been designed so that traffic on the A40 and rail services can continue running across and beneath the bridges while work is carried out.

The first traffic switch is planned from 1 September 2007, and will see the two eastbound lanes diverted from the Wales Farm Road Bridge onto the new
bridge in early September 2007, with the two westbound lanes being transferred in later that month.

At the Perryn Road Bridge, the inside eastbound lane will be moved onto the new bridge section in mid September 2007, with the outside eastbound lane
and the two westbound lanes being transferred from early October 2007.

The transfer from the old bridges to the new bridge sections should be complete by mid- to late-October, and will signal the end of a key phase of the project.

It is scheduled that the whole bridge replacement project will be completed by summer 2009.

While the work is being carried out, it is anticipated that there will be little or no effect on traffic flow along the A40, although the speed limit will be reduced from 40mph to 30mph when the lane switches take place.

Most of the work will be carried out during the daytime, however for safety reasons, some work over the railway can only be carried out overnight when trains are not operating.

August 31, 2007