This Week. Phase 1 of the construction work is progressing well. To allow the full-depth reconstruction of the road, rather than just a resurface that we will be doing elsewhere, the road and footways have been completely excavated and all material has now been removed off site. All of this material is re-processed and used in different ways, tarmac will be separated and used as plainings and go in the mix for new tarmac being laid, and the base stone, concrete, aggregate etc is crushed and used as recycled sub-base for new paths and other construction works.
Having dug up the road we have discovered services such as foul and surface water pipes that we knew about but also some things we didn’t, such as cables in steel pipes and random bits of drainage that seem to be abandoned. This is all fairly normal for a construction project, all areas are surveyed and scanned before works commence and manhole covers and drainage runs are raised or lowered as required as we go through.
The remaining tree stumps have been ground out and the excavation for the new tree pits has begun. At Westfield car park the kerbs have been laid around the new paths and the edges of the car park itself. A new hard-standing area has been created near to the bowls club to act as an over-flow parking area for events.
Next Week. Work will concentrate on the road and car park surface, laying stone to the right level, compacting and filling and preparing for the base course of tarmac. The work to improve the drainage runs will continue, with new pipes being laid, connections to existing gullies all helping to relieve the historic issues with poor drainage in this part of the road. Investigation of the lighting ducts and cables will start to fully understand how the new lights will connect and work.
To help the trees in the future large excavations under the footway have been dug and will be filled with a crate-system (a bit like old milk crates but more advanced) that will then be filled with soil and when the trees are planted will allow the roots more rooting volume, and allow their roots to access the nearby verge. We have found that under the road is actually like a beach, with almost no soil content below 300mm down and just sand (photo below the programme), so fresh soil will be used. The crates will be installed next week so that they can then be surfaced over and each tree throughout the scheme will have its own special root space to grow in to. They will also have water and air tubes to support healthy growth.
Programme. The table below gives an outline of the programme for all of the works in the Access improvements, split in to different phases the works progress from west to east. The timings are indicative only and are likely to vary as work progresses and will be updated here periodically. Thank you for your patience and helping in managing the diversions and works access.
We hope you are enjoying Poole Park being largely traffic-free while we undertake the works and during the coronavirus lock-down conditions. The road closures will stay in place while the businesses in the park are not operational. Your help is appreciated in maintaining safe distances to park staff and contractors at all times, thank you.
