Contact: Richard Chinn, tel 023 8042 7000 email: [email protected]

1. Summary

1.1 This report covers a wide range of activities undertaken by specialist teams within the Environment Department and gives details of programmes for:

(i) Intelligent Transport Systems;

(ii) Bridgeworks;

(iii) Hampshire Country Towns Initiative;

(iv) Development Related Works;

(v) Recreational Cycling; and

(vi) Street Lighting.

2. Intelligent Transport Systems Group (ITS)

2.1 The ITS Group of the Environment Department manages the feasibility, design, implementation, operation and maintenance of traffic control and traffic and travel information systems throughout Hampshire. In 2004/05 ITS deployment has reached significant levels, increasing the amount of on-street ITS equipment operated and maintained by the ITS Group. The Traffic Management Act 2004 and guidance for the Local Transport Plan (LTP), currently being developed, has placed further responsibility on the ITS Group for the monitoring of and improvement to the operation of the highway network.

2.2 Scheme progress during 2004/05 within the Test Valley area is as follows:

(i) New pedestrian and cycle crossings at the existing traffic signals at the junction of Castle Lane and Templars Way, Knightwood, Chandlers Ford. are currently being constructed, with work due to be completed in March. The scheme is also mentioned in the report at Item 5.

(ii) Also as mentioned in the report at Item 5, a new Puffin crossing at Eastern Avenue, Andover, is scheduled for installation in Spring 2005. The scheme is being funded partly by developer contributions and partly by the 2004/05 pedestrian facilities programme.

(iii) New automatic height detector signs for the road/rail bridge on Greatbridge Road between Budds Lane and Cherville Street, Romsey are due to be installed during March/April. Two signs will be installed on the northern approach, with a third on the southern approach, as follows:

(a) A3057 Greatbridge Road - `overheight vehicle turn left';

(b) Fishlake Meadows - `overheight vehicle turn right'; and

(c) Malmesbury Road at the junction with Dutton Road and Princes Road - `overheight vehicle turn back'.

The signs, similar to those used at the nearby Sun Arch rail bridge, are intended to prevent further strikes by vehicles that are too large to fit under the bridge.

2.3 The following schemes, which are also mentioned in the report at Item 5, are proposed for implementation during 2005/06:

(i) The Pelican crossing in Western Avenue, Andover, north of Bridge Street is planned to be converted to a Toucan crossing in the summer of 2005, as part of the Andover Railway Station to Town Centre cycle route.

(ii) A new Puffin crossing is planned for Newbury Road, Andover, immediately North of Enham Arch as part of an Externally Funded scheme.

(iii) The Bus Information Departure System (BIDS) for Andover Bus Station, is funded as part of the ITS central systems budget. A contract for Phase 3 of the county-wide Tandata has recently been awarded. One main summary display screen is scheduled to be installed by May 2005.

3. Bridgeworks

3.1 Below is a summary of:

(i) schemes completed in 2004/05;

(ii) schemes started in 2004/05, but carrying over into 2005/06; and

(iii) schemes due to start in 2005/06.

3.2 The Bridges Section of the Environment Department is responsible for all existing County highway structures, together with new structures built as part of road works, housing and industrial schemes. This covers inspection, maintenance, replacement, load assessment and strengthening.

3.3 The County Council's term maintenance contractor, Raynesway Construction Southern Ltd (RCS) carries out the majority of maintenance work. Some specialist works, such as graffiti removal, and larger schemes, such as bridge replacements, are awarded by separate tender.

Funding

3.4 Most work on bridges is funded from capital via the LTP, but inspections, routine maintenance and environmental maintenance of subways are revenue funded.

Load Assessment and Strengthening

3.5 This programme was brought about by EU legislation that allowed 40 tonne lorries on public roads from 1 January 1999. The assessments are now complete and strengthening of sub-standard bridges is ongoing.

Road/Rail Interfaces

3.6 Following the Selby crash in February 2001, parapets and safety fences at road/rail interfaces, most of which are bridges, have been prioritised. There is a rolling programme for protective measures and this will continue over several years, as funding is made available.

Aluminium Parapets

3.7 The Highways Agency has identified that aluminium vehicle parapets made by BACO, installed before 1994, are not to current standards. All such parapets on County bridges have been prioritised and a contract awarded to RCS for their replacement. Work on site started in September 2004 and is due to be completed by the end of March 2005. Details for individual bridges are given below.

Structural Painting

3.8 A contract is currently being prepared and details for bridges affected will follow, as they are finalised.

Works in Test Valley Area

Littleton Bridge, Fyfield

3.9 This bridge carries the C77, Fyfield Road, over the Pilhill Brook at Fyfield. The previous bridge was replaced with a precast concrete culvert, with a larger flow area, to alleviate flooding. Work on site started in August and was completed in October 2004.

Lane, New Inn and Redenham Bridges, Redenham

3.10 These three small bridges on the U62, Biddesden Lane, Redenham are sub-standard for load carrying and are being monitored. It is planned to strengthen the bridges in 2005/06 and local consultation, particularly concerning timing and traffic management, will follow.

Aluminium Parapets

3.11 RCS has already replaced the parapets on five bridges in the Test Valley area, Harrow Way subway, Andover, New Barters bridge over the River Blackwater at Ower, River Dever East bridge on the U54 at Lower Bullington, Bunny bridge on the U89 at Longstock and Yokesford bridge on the C246, Yokesford Hill, near Romsey.

3.12 The parapets on Walworth Road subway and Churchill Road subway, both under the A3093 in Andover, are scheduled to be replaced between 22 March and 3 April 2005. Lane closures controlled by temporary traffic signals will be needed during the works.

4. Hampshire Country Towns Initiative

Church Place, Romsey

4.1 This scheme, comprising environmental and highways improvements, was completed in partnership with Test Valley Borough Council just before Christmas 2004 utilising a special maintenance contribution.

Andover High Street

4.2 A partnership scheme with Test Valley Borough Council comprising environmental, paving and lighting works to the forecourt of the Guildhall is planned. This will be part of and extension to the recent highways and environmental improvements in the High Street. A contract is expected to be let this financial year with a start on site in early summer.

5. Development Related Works

5.1 Works within the Test Valley area currently being carried out under Section 38 Agreements are detailed in Appendix 1. Details of external funding and schemes relevant to that funding held by the County Council's Development Control section are set out in Appendix 2.

6. Recreational Cycling

6.1 The Environment Department, in partnership with the Recreation and Heritage Department, administers the county-wide Recreational Cycling infrastructure programme, which has an allocation of £100,000 from the Transport Capital programme in 2004/05.

National Byways Route (Winchester to Cirencester)

6.2 The National Byway is a signed leisure cycle route around Britain focusing on places of interest and Heritage. In 1999, the first National Byway route in England was opened forming a 153 mile route between Winchester and Shaftsbury. Since then, the network has grown to some 4,000 miles across the country. In partnership with the National Byway, Wiltshire County Council and South Gloucestershire Council, a new route has been proposed to link Winchester with Cirencester. The proposed route follows the existing signed Winchester to Shaftsbury route via Kings Somborne and Stockbridge to Houghton. The new route will then head through Broughton, the Wallops, Grateley and Fyfield before meeting the Hampshire/Wiltshire border just north of Appleshaw. The estimated cost in Hampshire of the National Byway signing scheme is £5,000 and a start was anticipated late in this financial year. However, the scheme has been deferred pending further routing discussions with Wiltshire County Council, agreement over which is essential before the Hampshire section of the works can proceed.

7. Street Lighting

Maintenance

7.1 The maintenance contract continues to provide over 99% of all street lights on at any one time, with performance levels improving since the change to `working days'. The maintenance contract was originally measured in calendar days and this has been changed to Monday to Friday, or `working days'. Further improvements are anticipated through the `Working Closer Together' Project which commenced in early March 2005. This Project will see the present street lighting team being split into two new sections: Corporate and Contract Delivery. The Contract Delivery team will be situated with the Contractor, Southern Electric Contracting, at its offices in Cosham and Basingstoke.

Column Replacement

7.2 The column replacement programme for the current year should have been completed by the date of the meeting. This includes work carried out in River Way, Andover which was mainly funded by Test Valley Borough Council and Testway Housing. Further work is planned for River Way and it is envisaged that this will be carried out on a priority basis under the column replacement programme.

7.3 A £1.7 million county-wide programme for 2005/06 is scheduled to commence in April and schemes in the provisional programme in the Test Valley area are as follows:

(i) Icknield Way, Andover;

(ii) Picton Road, Andover;

(iii) Woodley Estate footpaths, Romsey;

(iv) Richmond Lane, Romsey;

(v) Pheasant Close, Barton Stacey; and

(vi) The Green, Barton Stacey.

Community Safety Initiative (CSI)

7.4 CSI schemes are reliant upon joint-funding between the County Council and either Test Valley Borough Council, Town and Parish Councils, or in some cases local Residents Associations. Due to anticipated funding not being available during this financial year there was a need to withdraw the 8 CSI schemes within Test Valley reported at the Panel meeting on 12 October 2004.

7.5 The draft 2005/06 programme is in the process of being finalised and is due to be submitted for approval by the Executive Member for Environment on 22 March 2005. However, to date no bids have been received for schemes in the Test Valley area.

Energy

7.6 Following the start of the new supply contract in April 2004, consumption has tended to rise at a higher rate than expected. The reason for this has been investigated but no clear explanation has arisen. However, this trend has now reduced and energy is expected to be contained within the re-adjusted budget.

New Computer Management System

7.7 The new street lighting computer management system, Deadsure, replaced the previous system, SLIMS as the main tool for monitoring the street lighting maintenance contract on 10 February 2004. The new system was required as SLIMS was mainframe-based and the mainframe is due to be switched off at the end of March 2005.

7.8 There are still a number of problems to solve but the inclusion of the street lighting database and the expectation of the web browser and mobile field-based operational returns make this an exciting prospect for the future.

Recommendation

That this report be noted.

211/RC