RMweb Premium Welly Posted August 25, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 25, 2011 Since the Hindhead tunnel opened the disused A3 round the Devil's Punchbowl is being dug up. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-surrey-14655947 It makes a change from demolishion trains! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Thought you meant some long lost buried Gresley Pacific there for a moment! 16 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zabdiel Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 My first thought too. Interesting pictures, certainly an improvement! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Or indeed a large sheet of copier paper. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 My thought on seeing the title was 'Strategic Reserve?'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 Thought you meant some long lost buried Gresley Pacific there for a moment! Having just Shotover to find a rather Tranquil Enterprise (it was a Fairway to travel, but I am much refreshed by a Salmon Trout Sandwich at the local Harvester), all I could find was a Grand Parade of Ladas. Are you some sort of Humourist? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Classsix T Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 My thought on seeing the title was 'Strategic Reserve?'. England is such a tiny place, you've thought someone would've found that by now. Unless it was Barry scrap yard all along...you guys...tchoh! C6T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold The Stationmaster Posted August 25, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 25, 2011 Having just Shotover to find a rather Tranquil Enterprise (it was a Fairway to travel, but I am much refreshed by a Salmon Trout Sandwich at the local Harvester), all I could find was a Grand Parade of Ladas. Are you some sort of Humourist? Nah, I reckon he's just a Windsor Lad who had been stuck in Colombo on his way home from a trip to Singapore and while chewing the Spearmint gum decided to ignore Book Law, celebrate his Diamond Jubilee, not help his missus as her Woolwinder. miss out some golf on the Fairway, but grab some Manna from heaven in the form of a play on words, or letters. Trouble is it wouldn't have amused Sir Frederick Banbury or even Dick Turpin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike J Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 We passed through the new tunnels on our recent trip to Portsmouth from Scarborough, a long drive made a lot easier by these impressive structures. When we told the receptionist at the hotel that we'd come through them she seemed genuinely excited and asked what they were like. It's great that the old road is being returned to nature. Now if only the Highways Agency would dual the A64 cart track into Scarborough before it strangles the town for good. At least we've still got the railway! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Max Stafford Posted August 25, 2011 Share Posted August 25, 2011 I thought it was the legendary missing A3 Shergar.... Dave. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium mezzoman253 Posted August 26, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2011 So when the tunnel is blocked by a serious accident, where's the alternative route? Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Trevellan Posted August 26, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 26, 2011 If you scroll through the BBC photos there's one with a caption that says: "The machinery breaking up the road surface, which was built in the 1830s, can remove up to 700 tonnes of tarmac per day." I had no idea the Stephensons had diversified into road planing machinery... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Adrian Wintle Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 So when the tunnel is blocked by a serious accident, where's the alternative route? Rob Presumably the same as if the old A3 was blocked in that area. It isn't like they are reducing the number of roads. Also remember that there are two bores, so a contraflow could potentially be set up in the unaffected bore.. Adrian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horsetan Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 If you scroll through the BBC photos there's one with a caption that says: "The machinery breaking up the road surface, which was built in the 1830s, can remove up to 700 tonnes of tarmac per day." I had no idea the Stephensons had diversified into road planing machinery... It probably hadn't been resurfaced since then. either...... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham_Muz Posted August 26, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 26, 2011 So when the tunnel is blocked by a serious accident, where's the alternative route? Rob Rob The tunnel is two bores each with two lanes. In normal running one bore is northbound and the other South. Should one tunnel bore be blocked due to either an accident of maintenance then contra-flow running will take place in the other bore (as has been happening for the last four nights due to maintenance) My company provided the clever illuminated road studs that are switchable beween normal running and contra flow running conditions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium mezzoman253 Posted August 26, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2011 Ok you're more local to the site than me, but I would have thought leaving the old road as an alternative would be a wise move. There can't be many instances of a major A road being "put back to nature" . So if the tunnel is completely blocked in both directions, what would be the way round it? Don't say it'll never happen. roadworks one side, accident the other? Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xerces Fobe2 Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Maybe this area should be named Gresley Park! Xerces Fobe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 Ok you're more local to the site than me, but I would have thought leaving the old road as an alternative would be a wise move. There can't be many instances of a major A road being "put back to nature" . So if the tunnel is completely blocked in both directions, what would be the way round it? Don't say it'll never happen. roadworks one side, accident the other? Rob Surely its only the same as if there hadn't been a older route? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium mezzoman253 Posted August 26, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2011 When you had just the A3 you had the alternate route A283/B2131, as in the post above by Industrial. Obviously that still exists. My point was you now have the new route which if blocked would see the A3 as the alternate, a much better road than the previous alternate, and you still have the A283/B2131 as well i.e. 2 alternates. Seems short-sighted to remove a good quality road, but maybe other factors are at play, environmental? Rob Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
multiprinter Posted August 26, 2011 Share Posted August 26, 2011 I'm all in favour of closing and digging up duplicate roads - after all that's what happens to railway lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium spamcan61 Posted August 26, 2011 RMweb Premium Share Posted August 26, 2011 When you had just the A3 you had the alternate route A283/B2131, as in the post above by Industrial. Obviously that still exists. My point was you now have the new route which if blocked would see the A3 as the alternate, a much better road than the previous alternate, and you still have the A283/B2131 as well i.e. 2 alternates. Seems short-sighted to remove a good quality road, but maybe other factors are at play, environmental? Rob I agree it's short sighted, they've done the same with the A354 into Weymouth now the Olympic relief road is in place, to make sure folks get to the gridlock in central Weymouth that little bit more quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Graham_Muz Posted August 26, 2011 RMweb Gold Share Posted August 26, 2011 The route of the old A3 (a very heavily used single carriageway road) was a blight across the Devil's Punchbowl which is a famed area of outstanding natural beauty. Replacing the one remaining bottleneck on the A3 with a dual carriageway and contingency with the use of twin bore tunnels, this is one road new construction project that had pretty much full support from the environmental lobby. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 And there was I thinking they'd accidentally buried one of Gresley's finest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Max Stafford Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 I refer the honourable Gentleman to my own post... ;-) Dave. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baby Deltic Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 I refer the honourable Gentleman to my own post... ;-) Dave. Please accept one's sincerest apologies old chap. One couldn't be bothered to read through the thread before one posted. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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