A3095 closure during forest works

Published 13 Apr 2012 07:30 4 Comments

A BUSY road through Swinley Forest will be closed for up to five days while work is done to reduce the risk of another devastating fire.

The A3095 Foresters Way will be closed in both directions between 9.30am-4pm from Monday, April 30, for up to five days while contractors for Bracknell Forest Council mulch felled trees, clear gorse and stabilise and reseed banks that lost trees following the large-scale fires last May.

Traffic will be diverted along the A3095 Rackstraw Road, A321 Marshall Road, A30 London Road, A322 Bagshot Road and the B3430 Nine Mile Ride or this route in reverse.

Cllr Mary Ballin, the council's executive member for planning and transport, apologised in advance for any inconvenience caused during the off-peak road closures but said there was no other option.

Steve Loudoun, chief officer for environment and public protection at the council, expained: "We are now approaching the wildfire season, and with the weather getting warmer and the lack of rain, the potential risk of forest fire is increasing. The work we are carrying out along the verges of Foresters Way is essential if we want to minimise the potential risk of fire and reduce the risk of dead trees from falling.

"Closing the road for five days is essential, as the mulcher is a large piece of specialist equipment that requires a minimum of a 50m safe working zone.

"We have explored a number of options and unfortunately there is no other alternative."

Last month, council contractors cut and cleared dead and dying trees along the verges of Foresters Way between the junctions with Magdalene Road in Sandhurst and the B3348 Bracknell Road in Crowthorne.

The trees had been monitored to see if they would regrow following the fires last year that affected more than 300 hectares and raged for more than a week.

A replanting scheme has been started by the Forestry Commission with help from volunteers, who took part in work days earlier this year.

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This article appeared in Bracknell News 13 Apr 12

Have your say. Post a comment on this article.

• 

  honeybear
  288 posts
  Apr 17, 09:00
  Report comment

  WHY????
  
  Majority of this tree felling occured during or after the fire. WHY was it not cleared over the last year????? Also Southern Electricity built a nice track alongside the main road why do they not use this??? or spread the work over a longer period and do it at night.
  
  As closing this main link road is crazy and will cause chaos around Sandhurst and Crowthorne. And please put up proper diversion signs on the Sandhurst side of the closure. The diversion route should not be the A30 the majority of the traffic coming off the M3 or down the Blackwater Relief Road, A30 should be sent to the M3 and down the A322.
  
  Please install some diversion sign and directions well away from Rackstraw Lights as during the fire last year even after 5 days lorries were still turning up at the Magdalene Rd roundabout where the road closure is and struggled to turn round and then majority of traffic tried to go around Sandhurst and Crowthorne causing choas for locals.
  
  I will be logging all my delays as I do not believe it is really necessary to shut this road as with careful thought they could do this work with traffic lights or just narrowing the lanes and putting in speed restrictions.
  
  I have layed major pipelines down roads through town centres without the need to close a road. Bracknell Road Department really need to rethink this or get some advice from the utility companies who would not be allowed to cause this disruption.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 17     No 0

• 

  simba44
  2 posts
  Apr 17, 22:00
  Report comment

  Why are you shutting the road? There dead small twigs in my view. So it's taken all this time to get to cut down these trees. Also voluteers have really worked so hard replanting trees and I hope that the kids who caused this fire helped in replanting these trees instead of receiving a minsly CAUTION for causing all this damage, yes folks they got of with a caution. shame on our justice system, shame on the parents and shame on council. Hang your heads in shame for causing such damage to such gorgeous wildlife.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 14     No 0

• 

  honeybear
  288 posts
  Apr 18, 09:30
  Report comment

  Bracknell Forest Council.
  
  Please correct Elgin Road Works Site as it is wrong as the Road Closure is at Magdalene Rd Roundabout.
  
  http://roadworks.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=streetworks.streetworksMap.
  
  Also why are you not putting up warning notices that give the proposed diversion route.
  
  You really need to read the Street Works Acts. Ie notification of affect locals, and public the flashing signs are pointless as people are travelling to fast to be able to read them and gives no helpful information.
  
  Get your act together........................
  
  And again why does it need to be closed at all there is plenty of width of road that barriers would be installed from behind which the work could be carried out.
  
  Having worked on major pipework replacements down main road and we were not alllowed by the local council to shut roads. Seem one rule for Councils and one for eevrybody else.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 12     No 0

• 

  honeybear
  288 posts
  Apr 19, 09:00
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  I do hope Bracknell Forest are not breaking the "The Hedgerows Regulations 1997" as we are now in full nesting season the mass of undergrowth left for over a year is ideal nesting areas for birds and mammals.
  
  Will be checking out that they have put in correct paperwork and considering getting them prosecuted for violations. Seems again they enforce rules and regulations and fines on everybody else but themselves.
  
  They are a law unto themselves time to put a stop to it.
  
  Recommend?   Yes 11     No 0

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