'Complex incident' - Detailed investigations continue at road collapse in Godstone

Surrey County Council said this remains a complex recovery process, but Highways Officers are working hard to do all they can to return the area to normal as soon as possible following the incident on February 17.

The forward programme of works includes:

• Continued investigations – detailed, ongoing investigations focussing on areas of the highway, reviewing testing results and geological surveying and interpretations.
• Reconnecting utilities (gas, water, electricity and telecoms) – In order to get residents back in their homes and businesses over the last month, temporary connections were put in place to ensure essential utility services could be provided. However, the main pipes and other infrastructure within the holes have been disconnected and will in the longer-term, need to be reconnected or rebuilt with new connections to properties put in place. This isn’t a simple process and would usually take several months for a single utility company to plan, schedule and complete complex works of this kind. In the case of Godstone, there are multiple programmes of works to be carried out to restore utilities, before the road can be fully repaired, and the activities of the different companies will need to be carefully scheduled. Individual utility companies will also need to source the required equipment and machinery to carry out their works.
• Designing how the area will be repaired – once investigations and surveys are completed, a clear plan for repair works, including sequencing for utility reconnections will be designed. The site will need to be cleared in preparation for this and Highways Officers will work with utility companies to temporarily disconnect services and carry out additional excavations to allow for the repair works.
• Repairing the area – the area affected by the collapse and the structure of the road will be fully reconstructed. Pavements will also be repaired and the road fully rebuilt. The team will continue to work with utility companies to allow permanent reconnections of services and finally clear the site to return the area to normal.

Lloyd Allen, Infrastructure Manager for Surrey County Council, said, “This continues to be a complex incident involving a number of factors and agencies and as previously explained, it will take several more months to get the road fully reopened.

“We are continuing to update local residents and businesses as we progress through each stage of this incident and remain committed to doing all we can to get all residents and businesses back to their properties, and the road reopened, as soon as it is safe to do so.”

For more information visit Surrey County Council’s website.