A35 Chideock Narrowing

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SteveA30
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A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by SteveA30 »

Anyone know what this is for? July 22, and S2/1 now down to S2. Signs and traffic websites state until Oct 20 but, not what the work is for. It was reduced to 30 about a month ago. The D2/1 at the top now has double white lines in the D2 side, unless that is for the eastbound traffic to be transferred across.
The first photo shows the refuse lorry now under pressure as they hold up everyone for the first time during their stops up the hill.
Is this really to narrow it to S2 up a really steep hill or is it hopefully, pipelaying or similar. Resurfacing wouldn't take 3 months.
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Peter350
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by Peter350 »

I drove past this last weekend, on the way back from a short camping break in Devon. I’d imagine it’s just some pipelaying work or similar, but still an inconvenience for holiday traffic.

Just build the Chideock bypass for goodness sake!
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Peter350
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by Peter350 »

SteveA30 wrote: Fri Jul 24, 2020 20:34 Anyone know what this is for? July 22, and S2/1 now down to S2. Signs and traffic websites state until Oct 20 but, not what the work is for. It was reduced to 30 about a month ago. The D2/1 at the top now has double white lines in the D2 side, unless that is for the eastbound traffic to be transferred across.
The first photo shows the refuse lorry now under pressure as they hold up everyone for the first time during their stops up the hill.
Is this really to narrow it to S2 up a really steep hill or is it hopefully, pipelaying or similar. Resurfacing wouldn't take 3 months.
Wonder if nitrogen dioxide has anything to do with it?
SteveA30
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by SteveA30 »

Pipe laying it is then. Passing today on the way to an excellent Okehampton overspill, a compound has appeared at the top of the hill, with several stacks of pipes still in their gift wrapping. A bonus is that they have cleared away some trees and opened up a lovely view, which can be enjoyed by those doing 5mph behind a lorry crawling up in first gear. Oh Well, as Peter Green sang about this hill, (probably).
Last edited by SteveA30 on Sun Aug 02, 2020 15:30, edited 1 time in total.
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M4 Cardiff
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by M4 Cardiff »

This report in the Guardian yesterday. Apparently the traffic is so bad that the village has unacceptable air quality
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -residents
Cue the normal banging on about using public transport and cycling from the usual suspects, however although that may work in flat urban areas, in hilly rural areas, and an area that takes a lot of holiday and agricultural traffic, this is plainly not an option.

I assume that it has not been bypassed because of the fact that Chideock sits in a deep, steep-sided valley and bypassing would require a highly visually intrusive embankment and viaduct to keep gradients reasonable at each end.
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by Norfolktolancashire »

M4 Cardiff wrote: Sun Aug 02, 2020 13:56 This report in the Guardian yesterday. Apparently the traffic is so bad that the village has unacceptable air quality
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -residents
Cue the normal banging on about using public transport and cycling from the usual suspects, however although that may work in flat urban areas, in hilly rural areas, and an area that takes a lot of holiday and agricultural traffic, this is plainly not an option.

I assume that it has not been bypassed because of the fact that Chideock sits in a deep, steep-sided valley and bypassing would require a highly visually intrusive embankment and viaduct to keep gradients reasonable at each end.
There is hope if the push to electric vehicles accelerates and most of the fumes will disappear. The amount of traffic itself however will not so some sort of bypass or A35 reroute will be needed anyway.
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Stevie D
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by Stevie D »

M4 Cardiff wrote: Sun Aug 02, 2020 13:56 This report in the Guardian yesterday. Apparently the traffic is so bad that the village has unacceptable air quality
https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -residents
Cue the normal banging on about using public transport and cycling from the usual suspects, however although that may work in flat urban areas, in hilly rural areas, and an area that takes a lot of holiday and agricultural traffic, this is plainly not an option.

I assume that it has not been bypassed because of the fact that Chideock sits in a deep, steep-sided valley and bypassing would require a highly visually intrusive embankment and viaduct to keep gradients reasonable at each end.
Chideock has perfectly good public transport for local traffic – an hourly bus that runs from Axminster to Bridport and then on to either Dorchester or Weymouth – which is more than adequate for a village of that size, but doesn't do an awful lot to remove through traffic. The nearest stations are at Axminster, 10 miles west, and Dorchester, 20 miles east, which are on different lines; to get from the Bournemouth/Poole and Southampton/Portsmouth conurbations to Exeter or beyond by train is a circuitous journey that is not going to tempt people out of their cars. (Not that that is anything new, the terrain and low population means there has never been any kind of useful service along that bit of the coast).

Yes, it is the terrain that has meant a bypass has never been built. The obvious route that runs to the north of the village but fairly close in would only be about 1¼ miles, but the land drops 80m in less than half a mile from the west, which is either an average gradient of 11% or a huge viaduct dominating the valley – to the east, it would be easier for the bypass to contour round on a more level route but that would then see it rejoin the existing road at the bottom of a steep, narrow hill, which would be a bad transition. It would be a big project and destructive to the local environment, which is a shame because it's a lovely village and would really benefit from having through traffic removed. But, to be honest, the proposed improvements to the A303 between Amesbury and Mere in particular could potentially make the northern route more attractive and draw traffic away from the A35 without the need to scar another landscape.
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M4 Cardiff
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by M4 Cardiff »

Definately another reason to complete the A303 as HQDC. Would alleviate to some extent the problems mentioned about the M5 around Clevedon too.
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by Tinpusher »

chideock_bypass.jpg
Seems the geological surveying has been done for a northern route, both back in 1978, and again in February 1994 according to the borehole logs.

Green dots are 1978, blue are 1994 draw a line between them and there's your potential bypass route.

If you're interested, the borehole scans cover a route from east of Bridport to west of Charmouth.
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by DavidBrown »

There's detailed drawings from a 1993 plan to dual the whole stretch between Charmouth and Bridport here.
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solocle
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by solocle »

Image
Went for a cycle along that stretch of the A35 today, there's definitely something going on there.
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by Richardf »

solocle wrote: Mon Aug 03, 2020 19:17 Image
Went for a cycle along that stretch of the A35 today, there's definitely something going on there.
Looks like some of the trees are being cut, which is a shame.
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by Richardf »

Totally agree that a bypass is desperately needed - that and other improvements along the A35 route would make this a more attractive alternative to the A303 route when heading to the westcountry. But other than the challenging northern route I can't see what other options there are, other than a big detour inland.

I have often thought that the hill climb out of Chideock heading west could have been improved with some regrading, especially at the top where it continues to climb through the D1, then actually descends into Morecombelake . I am surprised this extra rise and fall has never been removed and the climb shortened. Might not be much but would help.
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A303Chris
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by A303Chris »

Instead of starting a new topic , I will add this hear. The temporary western extension of the 30mph through the village is going to be made permanent in the interest of air quality.

I have not been through since the change, so I assume the 40mph up the crawler lane was made 30 mph, which does not seem a great idea.
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SteveA30
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Re: A35 Chideock Narrowing

Post by SteveA30 »

Yes, it's 30 to about half way up, just after the steepest bit, where it becomes 50. Not a problem where lorries are concerned, as they are down to 15 or less. Caravans mean doing more than 30 to get past, as many do but not me no sir ree*. Coming down though, few are doing 30, until entering the village, where the new cam is.

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