Community and Environment
24 hour emergency number
01737 772000
01737 772000
How can we help?
A217 Mogador to Burgh Heath pipeline scheme
Latest update
Friday 17 February
We noticed in January that the reinstatement and resurfacing of the road between the Tadworth roundabout and Shelvers Way did not comply with stringent public highway regulations. The remedial works for this stretch of road have now been completed and the traffic management system is due to be removed today.
Our contractor has begun reinstating the lay-by at the Reigate Road junction, and the remaining traffic management system will hopefully be removed next week.
There are still some areas which need replanting. This will be done at the appropriate time of year to give the new plants the best chance.
The new trunk main is now fully commissioned and in use. Thank you again for your continued patience during these essential works.
Friday 10 February
The disinfection of the new water main has now been completed and the contractor is finalising the connections at Mogador Road and Reigate Road. On completion of these works the remaining areas will be fully reinstated.
‘We have identified an area of the A217 between the Tadworth roundabout and Shelvers Way where the quality of the materials used in the road reinstatement were not to the required standard. As a result, remedial works will be carried out next week during the schools’ half-term holidays, when hopefully the road will be less busy.’
We apologise for any inconvenience these remedial works will cause. Please be assured that this is as a result of our stringent quality checks, which ensure our works consistently meet the highest standards.
Friday 20 January
Testing of the new main has been completed and all disruptive traffic management removed. Disinfection of the main is continuing and at times, water may be visible at the junction with Reigate Road. On completion of this work the remaining outstanding areas will be fully reinstated. We are not involved with any other projects affecting the A217 at this time.
Friday 6 January
Testing, disinfection and commissioning of the new main is continuing with traffic management currently in place between Tadworth Roundabout and Shelvers Way to provide a safe working area for our contractor. Work will continue over the weekend to minimise disruption but the lane closure is likely to remain in place into next week.
The testing and commissioning phases are much less labour intensive and so fewer people will be on site compared with earlier construction phases.
If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Services Team on 01737 772000.
Thursday 22 December
Remedial works on the A217 between Shelvers Way and Reigate Road have been completed and the traffic management removed.
Testing, disinfection and commissioning of the new water main will continue early next year. We need to maintain the excavation within the lay-by south of the A240 Reigate Road junction for this. Additional traffic management may be required in the New Year, for short durations, to provide our contractor with a safe working area during these final commissioning stages. We will avoid this wherever possible.
On completion of the commissioning the remaining work sites at Tadworth Roundabout and the layby near the Reigate Road junction will be fully reinstated, as will our compound on Mogador Road.
We thank everyone affected by these works for their patience.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
Friday 16 December
Remedial works north of the Tadworth roundabout will be completed next week and traffic management removed from the A217 carriageway by Christmas.
Testing, disinfection and commissioning of the new water main is likely to continue into early next year. We therefore need to maintain the excavation within the lay-by south of the A240 Reigate Road junction. We will endeavour to reduce the impact of these works on traffic using the A240 filter lane as much as possible. Additional traffic management may be required in the New Year, for short durations, to provide our contractor with a safe working area during these final commissioning stages. We will avoid this wherever possible.
We would like to thank everyone affected by these major works for their patience.
Thursday 8 December
Work on the new pipeline is nearing completion but the road surface north of Shelvers Way continues to cause concern.
As a result, traffic management will be in place along this section following tomorrow morning’s rush hour to allow remedial works to take place. These will continue over the weekend to help minimise disruption but will run into next week. We are working closely with Surrey Highways regarding the traffic management system.
We apologise for the inconvenience and will do everything we can to mitigate possible delays. We will post another update early next week.
If you have any questions, please contact our Customer Services Team on 01737 772000.
Friday 2 December
Remedial works on the coned off northbound section between Shelvers Way and Reigate Road have been completed.
We apologise for any inconvenience this may have caused. Please be assured that this additional work was a result of our stringent quality checks which ensure our road works consistently meet the highest engineering and health and safety standards.
We are in the final phase of testing our new main and are hopeful that the more disruptive elements of the scheme are behind us. This is four weeks earlier than our original estimate of Christmas Eve.
Testing of the new main may continue into the New Year, as planned. Traffic management may be required at times to provide safe working areas for our contractor, but we will avoid this wherever possible.
Friday 25 November
You may be wondering why a lane is coned off just south of the Reigate Road junction, with no-one working there. We had hoped to re-open this section at the end of last week but there were concerns about the quality of materials used in the road reinstatement. Additional laboratory testing was required, over and above that undertaken on previous sections, to determine the cause of the defective surface and what would be needed to put it right.
Work has begun to remove approximately 300m of the new road surface so it can be replaced with materials that meet our usual high standards. Some remedial works on a smaller area, just north of Chipstead Lane, have just been completed.
We apologise for any inconvenience these remedial works have or will cause. Please be assured that this is a result of our stringent quality checks which ensure our works consistently meet the highest standards.
Compliance testing of the section of water main between Chipstead Lane and Tadworth Roundabout is now completed. The contractor will start testing the final section between Tadworth Roundabout and Reigate Road this week. Water may be visible at times but this is normal.
Testing of the new main may continue into the New Year. Traffic management may also be required at certain times during that process to provide safe working areas for our contractor, but we will try to avoid this wherever possible.
Friday 17 November
The Contractor is now completing the final reinstatement of the central reservation between Shelvers Way and Reigate Road. And Surrey County Council’s Highways Department are also carrying out their final checks of the road reinstatement. During this time our workforce may not always be present on site. We are aiming to re-open this section of the carriageway towards the end of next week, once all these checks have been completed.
Testing of the section of new main between the Chipstead Lane roundabout and Tadworth roundabout will continue next week. At times water might be visible, but this is perfectly normal. Once completed they will test the final section between the Tadworth roundabout and the Reigate Road junction.
Testing of the new main may continue into the New Year. Traffic management may also be required again at certain times during that process, to provide safe working areas for our Contractor, but we will try to avoid this wherever possible.
Friday 11 November
Testing of the section of new main between the Chipstead Lane roundabout and Tadworth roundabout will continue next week. At times water might be visible, but this is perfectly normal.
The Contractor has continued to make good progress in the final section within the northbound carriageway of the A217 this week. They have now laid the last section of the new pipe and final reinstatement of this section is scheduled for next week.
There is some final tidying up to do, particularly in a few sections of the central reservation. As a result, some traffic management will need to be in place to allow the contractor to do this safely. However, we are still hopeful that with the continued hard work of our Contractor, the majority of the remaining traffic management systems will be removed by early December.
Testing of the new main may continue into the New Year. Traffic management may also be required again at certain times during that process, to provide safe working areas for our Contractor, but we will try to avoid this wherever possible.
Friday 4 November
The Contractor is now testing the section of new main between the Chipstead Lane roundabout and Tadworth roundabout. At times during this process water might be visible but this is perfectly normal.
The Contractor has again made good progress in the final section within the northbound carriageway of the A217. They are now fast approaching the tie-in with the previously laid section from the traffic lights at the Reigate Road. Final reinstatement of this section is now scheduled for week commencing 21 November.
We are still hopeful that with the continued hard work of our Contractor, and provided the good weather lasts, the majority of the remaining traffic management will be removed by early December.
Testing of the new main will continue into the New Year. Traffic management may be required again at certain times during that process to provide safe working areas for our Contractor, but we will try to avoid this wherever possible.
Friday 28 October
The testing of the main in the fields is now complete. The contractor will now be disinfecting this section ready for use. Again, at times during this process there may be water visible around the Chipstead Lane roundabout. This is perfectly normal. Once this work is completed, we will start to test the next section from Chipstead Lane to the Tadworth roundabout.
The Contractor is continuing to make good progress with the works on the Northbound A217 towards the Reigate Road junction, despite the difficulties this section of the works has raised.
We are continuing to work in the centre of the Tadworth roundabout, which will continue into next week.
As a result of the good progress made to date, we are now hopeful that we will finish the pipe laying a number of weeks earlier than anticipated. Most of the remaining traffic management systems should be removed by the middle of December.
Testing of the new main will continue into the New Year. Traffic management may be required again at that stage to provide safe working areas for our Contractor, but we will try to avoid this wherever possible.
Friday 21 October
Testing and commissioning of the main in the fields at the Mogador end is continuing.
Our Contractor is working around the Chipstead Lane roundabout and our Mogador Road compound where you may see some water at certain times, this is perfectly normal.
We continue to make good progress on the northbound section of the A217 between the Tadworth Roundabout and Reigate Road, despite the high number of other services and the extra depth of concrete, which has to be removed from the road surface.
The Shelvers Way crossover will be re-opened today. This will allow the traffic management controls to be removed between the Tadworth roundabout and the north side of Shelvers Way. We hope this will allow traffic on the Tadworth roundabout to flow more easily.
At the Tadworth roundabout itself, we are still working within the roundabout to join the north and south sections of pipe which were laid to it.
We remain well within schedule for the project and aim to complete the pipe laying by Christmas. At this stage we cannot forsee any reason why we should over run.
Friday 14 October
Testing and commissioning of the main in the fields at the Mogador end is continuing.
Our Contractor is working around the Chipstead Lane roundabout and our Mogador Road compound where you may see some water at certain times, this is perfectly normal.
We are still making good progress on the northbound section of the A217 between the Tadworth Roundabout and Reigate Road, despite the high number of other services and the extra depth of concrete, which has to be removed from the road surface.
We remain hopeful of having the Shelvers Way crossover open again by Monday 24 October, with full reinstatement due to be completed next week.
We have now completed the crossing into the centre of the Tadworth roundabout from the northern side with full reinstatement to be carried out this weekend. Traffic management will remain in place until this is finished. We hope that by next week only minimal traffic management will be necessary, which should make the traffic flow much more easily.
Friday 7 October
Testing and commissioning of the main in the fields is continuing. Our Contractor will be working some of this weekend around the Chipstead Lane roundabout and our Mogador Road compound. You may see some water at these locations at certain times but this is perfectly normal.
We are making good progress on the northbound section of the A217 between the Tadworth Roundabout and Reigate Road but it is slower than in other sections of the project. This is due to the presence of a high number of other services and the extra depth of concrete which has to be removed from the road surface. We now have two separate gangs working in opposite directions and towards each other, to keep this section on schedule.
We hope to have the Shelvers Way crossover open again by Monday 24 October, once full reinstatement is completed.
We have completed the crossing into the centre of the Tadworth roundabout from the southern side and have removed the southbound traffic control. This weekend, our Contractor will be working at night to cross the northern side and into the centre of the roundabout. Traffic controls will be operating for this work to take place. Traffic management will remain in place next week to ensure full reinstatement can take place safely and efficiently. We expect to be fully clear of the roundabout by end of October.
Friday 30 September
Testing and commissioning of the section of main running through fields is continuing.
On the northbound section of the A217 between Tadworth Roundabout and Reigate Road difficult ground conditions and existing services continue to make progress slower than elsewhere. Our contractor has started a second gang in this lane heading south from Reigate Road to help keep this section of works on programme.
The crossover from the southbound A217 into Shelvers Way will remain closed for approximately three weeks.
Work to cross the southern side of Tadworth Roundabout into the centre is complete. We have begun to lift the traffic management from the southbound lanes and the southern half of the roundabout and hope this will improve some of the traffic disruption at this busy junction.
Works are continuing to the northern side of Tadworth Roundabout. This area is highly congested with existing services which makes progress slow but we remain on programme. Works here are programmed to be completed by the end of October and traffic management will remain in place throughout this period to ensure the safety of our workforce and road users.
Friday 23 September
Main laying has been completed in the field section and we will start testing and commissioning next week. Water may appear around the A217/Chipstead Lane junction as the new main is flushed clean, this is standard practice.
On the northbound section between Tadworth Roundabout and Reigate Road works have slowed a little this week due to the presence of additional uncharted services which are making the excavation of the trench more difficult. This weekend the traffic management will be extended towards Reigate Road to allow a second gang to begin working southwards to ensure this section of works is kept on programme.
The crossover point from the A217 southbound into Shelvers Way was closed this week. It will remain closed for up to four weeks.
Our contractor will start to cross the southern side of the Tadworth Roundabout overnight this weekend. Lane closures on the roundabout will be kept to a minimum but will be necessary when completing the final reinstatement. We understand this section of work causes particular disruption to traffic flows and our contractor will continue to work as quickly, and safely, as possible to complete it. We have had further discussions with Surrey County Council Highways and all are monitoring the situation.
Tuesday 20 September
A217/A240 junction reopen.
The A240 Reigate Road junction exiting off the A217 was re-opened early this morning after completion of the reinstatement following the complex connection work undertaken here during the past eight weeks.
Friday 16 September
Work in the field section began again this week and made good progress.
We continue to make good progress in the northbound carriageway from Tadworth Roundabout to the A240 Reigate Road junction despite having to lay this section almost 3m deep to go under existing services. This work will continue next week.
After negotiating a large, unexpected, brick culvert south of Tadworth Roundabout this week the contractor is getting ready to cross the roundabout next week. Much of this work will be undertaken at night but lane restrictions will remain in place during the day for safety reasons. We understand this section of work is causing particular disruption to traffic flows and our contractor will work as quickly, and safely, as possible to complete these works.
At the A240 Reigate Road the connection pipework and the pipe laid down to the bus stop has been tested and passed, and work is now well underway to reinstate the road. Due to the large quantities of concrete needed to reinstate the excavation at the junction it will take a number of days for this to harden before we can lay the tarmac. The road is due to open by the middle of next week.
Friday 9 September
Work in the fields behind Mogador has been slow this week due to the poor weather conditions, however we are still on schedule.
We have made good progress in the northbound carriageway from Tadworth roundabout to the A240 Reigate Road junction and we will continue in this section next week.
Access to Shelvers Way will be kept open, however, in order to lay our pipeline across the junction we will need to close the right turn into Shelvers Way, in the southerly direction, for a short duration in approximately one to two weeks’ time. We plan to re-open this turning once we have crossed the junction.
We have started work at the Tadworth roundabout this week, and all traffic management south of the Kingswood rail tunnel has now been removed.
The first phase of pipework into the bus stop, south of Reigate Road junction, has been completed and we are currently testing the new main. Therefore we will not be working this weekend and plan to start backfilling the large excavation at the junction early next week.
Friday 2 September
Work continues to progress well in the fields behind Mogador and remains on schedule.
We have finished the overnight closures and completed pipe-laying within the carriageway at Chipstead Lane roundabout.
We have completed pipe-laying across the railway tunnel and will begin work in the northbound carriageway, from Tadworth roundabout to the A240 Reigate Road junction, from this weekend.
At the A240 Reigate Road junction pipe-laying is taking longer than we anticipated due to: the complex nature of the connection, existing services and difficult ground conditions. We have therefore agreed a further extension of up to two weeks with the highway authority to complete this section.Having undertaken the connection to our existing mains network we are continuing to lay pipework into the bus stop south of the junction. Whenever possible, the contractor will continue to work extended hours for seven days a week.
Tuesday 30 August
We are going to be working some nights this week in an effort to complete sections at both the Reigate Road junction and the Chipstead Lane roundabout before the schools go back next week.
Friday 26 August
The rain this week has caused the work to slow down a little in the field sections at the Mogador end but it is still on schedule.
Work has progressed well around the Chipstead Lane roundabout in the Phase 1B section. This was helped by Surrey Highways agreeing to overnight closure of the northbound right-hand turn into Chipstead Lane, which allowed our contractor to continue laying into the roundabout.
The connection has now been completed in Phase 1C at the junction of Reigate Road. The workforce will now start laying pipework towards the bus stop.
At Phase 1D, the contractor is currently working in the nearside lane and crossing the railway tunnel. Once completed and reinstated, traffic management between the railway tunnel and Chipstead Lane roundabout will be lifted.
The contractor's workforce will be having this weekend off to allow them to rest after five weeks of working long days, and in many cases, seven days a week. Since the project began they have laid around 3,000m of new main. When they return, we will look at initiating additional night working to navigate the Tadworth Roundabout.
Friday 19 August
We continue to make good progress in the field section at the southern end of the project and work here remains on schedule.
The current section of Phase 1B will be fully reinstated today and Surrey County Council will complete their check of it over the weekend. The workforce will now complete the mains laying at the Chipstead Lane roundabout before starting work north of the Tadworth Roundabout.
Due to last week’s unforeseen complications at Phase 1C it has now been agreed with Surrey County Council Highways that Reigate Road will remain closed until 4 September. We will continue to do everything we can to mitigate the inconvenience and delays, and as before the contractor will be working seven days a week and extended hours whenever possible.
Phase 1D is progressing well and the reinstatement of the current section should be completed today, ready for Surrey County Council to check it over the weekend. The traffic management will be changed on Monday so the contractor can complete the rail crossing next week.
Friday 12 August
Mainlaying has progressed quickly in the fields this week and this section of works is currently on schedule.
The Phase 1B pipe on the A217 has now been laid. Final reinstatement of the road surface is due to start this weekend, and will be completed by the middle of next week. Once this section is re-opened, our workforce will move to the section north of the Tadworth roundabout to begin Phase 2
There have been unexpected complications this week at Phase 1C, involving an existing valve on our water mains network. Unfortunately, this will mean a delay to the completion of this section. We are currently discussing with Surrey County Council Highways about a possible extension to the lenth of closure. Once this has been agreed, we will update the information on the electronic signs to make sure the public are kept fully aware of any changes to the schedule. The contractor will continue to work seven days a week and extended hours whenever possible, and we will continue to do everything we can to mitigate any possible delays.
Phase 1D continues to progress well and remains on schedule. Final reinstatement of the road surface in the current section of works is planned for next week. Once completed, the traffic management will be altered to allow the workforce to lay the new main across the railway in the slow lane, as planned. This is currently programmed to happen towards the end of next week.
Friday 5 August
We have made our connection to the existing network in the fields off Mogador Road. The heavy rain on Thursday delayed the start of the mainlaying which will now be underway from Monday 8 August.
In the A217 Phase 1B is now progressing quickly as the ground conditions have improved, and works are currently on schedule. Once this section is completed, the gang will move to the section north of the Tadworth Roundabout to start Phase 2.
At Phase 1C the heavy rain on Thursday caused flooding of the excavation and works here had to be halted temporarily. We have also had to revise the planned connection layout, which meant we had to order additional items. The contractor will continue to work seven days a week and extended hours whenever possible, and we will do everything we can to mitigate any possible delays.
Phase 1D is progressing well and remains on schedule. Once they have completed mainlaying to the point where they meet with Phase 1B they will go back to complete the rail crossing. Then head up towards the Tadworth Roundabout, still within the southbound carriageway.
Monday 1 August
Works within the fields off Mogador Road have started with the topsoil now stripped. Main laying is due to start this week.
In the A217 Phase 1B got off to a slow start due to unstable ground conditions but the contractor is now progressing well. If necessary we will work seven days a week to ensure works stay on programme.
Phase 1C at the Reigate Road junction has a much more complex arrangement of connections to complete which requires careful and safe planning on site at this early stage. In order to mitigate any possible delays we have asked the contractor to work seven days a week (8.30-5.00pm, Saturday and Sunday) as well as extended hours whenever possible during the week.
Phase 1D is progressing well and is on programme.
Monday 25 July
Our plans for the pipeline have changed following extensive additional investigation of existing utility apparatus within the A217 to prove the route of the water main. Instead of laying the main in the southbound carriageway between the A240 Reigate Road and Tadworth Roundabout we have to lay it within the northbound offside lane.
Therefore, in addition to beginning work in the private fields on Monday, 25th July, we will now commence work at the following locations:
See plan which shows the full route and work schedule
A217 between Chipstead Lane and Mill Road in northbound offside lane (Phase 1B)
A217/A240 Reigate Road junction with partial closure and diversion in operation (Phase 1C)
A217 between Tadworth Roundabout and The Warren in southbound offside lane (Phase 1D)
Traffic management for the works will be in place after 9pm on Sunday 24th July, in preparation for the start of works on Monday morning.
Friday 15 July
We started setting-up the site compound on the private fields at the back of Mogador (off Mogador Road) on Wednesday this week. We also began fencing off the working area through those fields. Deliveries to the Mogador compound will begin tomorrow and throughout next week. We will “string-out” the pipes across the fields and start removing the topsoil. Next week, some deliveries will also be made to our Nork Reservoir site.
Reigate and Banstead Borough Council have approved our application for this new 500mm diameter pipeline. The pipeline is vital in providing greater flexibility and resilience to our entire distribution network, particularly during periods of low rainfall and drought.
We plan to start work on Monday 25 July to maximise the school holiday period, when roads are less busy.
We are very aware that routing the main in the A217 is causing concern to local residents and businesses and we are committed to limiting traffic disruption any way we can. This includes extended working hours. We will also consider working over weekends at complex crossings and connections.
We held two 'Drop-in' events - Saturday 25 June in Kingswood, and Wednesday 6 July in Tadworth - to give those affected an opportunity to find out all about the project and put their questions directly to the team responsible for the new pipeline. A copy of the handout from the events is available here, and a detailed map of the pipeline route is available here.
Once the project is underway, regular weekly updates about its progress will be logged on this page. Links to press releases are below.
If you have any further questions, please contact our Customer Services Team on 01737 772000.
Press releases
- 28 June 2011 - Sutton and East Surrey Water hold Drop-in event about A217 pipeline
- 14 June 2011 - Go ahead for Mogador to Burgh Heath pipeline
- 20 May 2011 - Company submits plans for Mogador to Burgh Heath pipeline
- 28 February 2011 - Proposed route for new pipeline announced
- 15 July 2010 - New main will secure supplied to Sutton area
- © 2012, Sutton and East Surrey Water plc, London Road, Redhill, Surrey RH1 1LJ
- Registered in England number 2447875