LATEST UPDATE on Sturt Bridge Road and repair works - Friday 16th June
I received notification this morning that the water company are attending to the issues at Sturt Road Bridge.
My understanding is that the work is estimated to be complete by 20th June.
- Cllr. Paul Deach, County Councillor for Mytchett, Frimley Green and Deepcut
Sturt Bridge Road Update - Monday 12th June
I share everyone's frustration at the issues involving wetspots/flooding/splashing at Sturt Road Bridge. There are several issues at play here, all of which are complicated further due to the number of organisations that have an interest in the bridge. These include the highways authority, SHBC, Network Rail and Thames Water.
Firstly the drains at this bridge do have a design flaw which means they get blocked very easily and when there is heavy rain, they become overwhelmed very quickly.
My understanding is that there are several identical bridges in Surrey and all have the same issues and were all built around the same time.
A couple of years ago, I spoke to a nonagenarian who has lived in Mytchett all his life. He told me that he remembers the bridge flooding there when he was a little boy walking to school.
The Highways Authority do have a program of cyclic jetwashing of the drains and I do try to arrange extra ones when needed.
However, on this occasion, it would seem that there is a slightly different issue to the usual problems. This involves silt/debris within the Thames Water syphon.
I am advised that there are two inspection covers within Bartlett Place, immediately adjacent to the railway boundary. These two chambers are the access to an oversized chamber, installed by Thames Water, to act as a syphon. This was to allow flows from surface water drainage systems (connections to highway drainage systems under Sturt Road bridge) to pass around the obstruction caused by the installation of their new foul trunk sewer.
The local drainage engineer has advised me that when the chamber covers are lifted and inspected the trunk sewer can be seen. The water level is currently higher on the upstream side, indicating the chamber is silted to the base of the trunk sewer and surface water flows from the highway are having to pass over the trunk sewer pipe. The syphon is blocked and isn’t working. Hence the puddle under the bridge.
The chamber needs a vactor to clean out, and Thames Water has confirmed on 24/05/23 their planning team would be making contact with the highways authority to arrange attendance. I was copied in on an email from the highways authority chasing this on 07/06/23.
Stuart Black and I have been continually chasing, and I concede it is tediously slow progress. In the long term, however, a permanent engineering solution to the issues at this bridge has been designed and funding agreed in principle as I have reported previously, so we should hopefully see this resolved in due course.
I completely understand everyone's frustrations; as I say I share them. Not least of all, I cycle through that bridge on a regular basis, and it is not fun. In fact, a few weeks ago, I got splashed by a car going through way to fast and I ended up with water in my mouth which makes me yack just thinking about it.
As I say, this is not a straightforward issue to resolve, but I do think this immediate problem will be sorted once Thames Water gets into gear, and then a more permanent solution is on the horizon.
- Cllr. Paul Deach, County Councillor for Mytchett, Frimley Green and Deepcut
