National Highways and their contractors Balfour Beatty have taken the drastic action of closing the northbound exit off the A3 at Painshill Cobham until 18 July during the lane closure on the short dualled section of the A245 between Painshill and Seven Hills Road. Traffic on Friday was understandably heavier at the Esher Common A244 junction towards Esher Oxshott and Leatherhead but compounded by the burst water main in Oxshott…
Daily update from the MP for the area covered by lane closures on the A245 at Cobham Painshill which are being carried out by National Highways as part of the Junction 10 project.
It’s not a matter Surrey County Council lead on, hence bringing in the Minister to whom National Highways reports. 10 weeks of lane closure on one side followed by 19 weeks on the other through November are the current intention.
A245 UPDATE Dr Ben Spencer MP 17 May :
Today I had a further meeting with National Highways, along with Cllr Tim Oliver, Cllr Matt Furniss and a representative from the Department for Transport. Having raised serious concerns I am pleased to see swift action has been taken.
The closure of the A3 slip road and work to optimise traffic signalling appears to have reduced travel times and delays along the A245, although it is recognised that traffic volumes are also lower on Fridays. The real test of whether these changes have been successful will come on Monday and Tuesday next week.
Following my discussion with the Secretary of State for Transport yesterday, National Highways have also been in close contact with the Department for Transport, who will be carefully monitoring the situation. In case today’s improvements do not reveal the results we hope for, I am pleased they are already setting aside resource to remove traffic restrictions if required. They have also agreed to reach out to local schools, transport operators and other community stakeholders to ensure they have a clear understanding of the situation and provide clear communications.
I am very grateful to everyone who has raised this issue with me, and helped to deliver swift changes in response to these concerns. There remain wider questions on how this situation occurred at all, which I will be raising, but for now I hope the measures in place will deliver real improvements for those affected.
Dr Ben Spencer MP for Weybridge Update 16 May
A245 WORKS UPDATE
Thank you to everyone who has contacted me regarding the impact of the works on the A245. This includes reports of disruption and long delays getting to school (especially concerning during the exam period), local businesses losing trade and employees struggling to get to work, and concerns around road safety.
The current situation needs to be urgently improved.
I’ve had meetings with representatives from National Highways today, joined by County Cllrs Cllr Tim Oliver, Cllr David Lewis, and Matt Furniss – sharing my concern about the current situation.
Ideally the current lane closure should be reopened and a reconsideration given to how the work could be done to minimise impact, including doing the work outside of exam time during the summer when traffic is normally lessened anyway – a view shared by our local county councillors.
It’s important to note that if this was agreed, this would take time and could not be immediately done, and therefore I suggested a trial of mitigation but to start to reverse the changes from tomorrow evening if the mitigation does not work.
I have also been in regular contact with the Department of Transport throughout the day and this evening spoke to Mark Harper MP, Secretary of State for Transport where I explained the situation and impact it is having. He understands our concerns and will look into the situation including liaising with National Highways and others, and will update me later tomorrow. I have also spoken with Jonathan Lord MP whose constituents are also affected by the works.
This remains an active situation, but I will keep on it and will have further calls and updates tomorrow, and hopefully we will see some improvement soon.
MP Calls on National Highways to Address A245 Traffic Disruption
Dr Ben Spencer MP for Weybridge and prospective MP for Cobham & Oxshott has fired off a letter and meeting request to National Highways who are responsible for the lane closure impacting the A245 between Painshill and Seven Hills Road.
Wednesday, 15 May, 2024
Constituents have contacted me in recent days to express their frustration at the traffic mayhem they currently face due to the closure of one lane in each direction of the A245 (Byfleet Road) approaching the Painshill roundabout.
The sheer level of disruption to routine travel presents a barrier to residents’ journeys to work, school and to access healthcare. It compounds the delays and inconvenience already experienced by the local community as a result of the ongoing M25/A3 project.
With the A245 lane closure anticipated to last 10-12 weeks, this situation is clearly unsustainable. It is particularly concerning at a time when many of our children will be taking GCSE and A-level exams in the coming weeks, and risk missing time at school – or worse, exams –due to the excessive delays caused by these works.
Today, I have written to National Highways to ask them for an urgent meeting to discuss what they can do to stop or mitigate the disruption residents are currently facing. A copy of this letter is attached below.
I will provide an update once this meeting has taken place. In the meantime, please do contact me if you have experienced particular difficulties as a result of the A245 lane closure, at: ben.spencer.mp@parliament.uk
Dr Spencer letter to National Highways A245
https://one.network/?GB138523811 indicates the lane closures may continue until November.
Leatherhead Living 