16 April 2009

Thames Water’s Chief Executive, David Owens and the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson launch the new plating scheme in London

Instead of sitting in traffic jams at roadworks, motorists in London will be able to drive, during peak travel times, on high-strength plates bridging trenches dug as part of work to replace worn-out Victorian water mains under the city's streets. After rush-hour, workmen can then remove the plates and resume their activities.

This marks Thames Water's commitment to London Mayor Boris Johnson's streetworks Code of Conduct - a series of pledges that utility firms are today being urged to sign up to in a bid to improve the lives of people in the capital.

David Owens, Thames Water’s Chief Executive, said:

"We're the first UK utility to use these new plates on such a scale and we hope it makes Londoners' lives easier. These plates will enable us to return roads we're working on back to use during rush-hour - before resuming our work when it quietens down. We've replaced nearly 1,000 miles of pipes in London since the start of our Victorian mains replacement (VMR) programme in 2002. Unfortunately this vital work sometimes disrupts traffic, which is why, as we sign up to the Mayor of London's streetworks Code of Conduct, we're making road plating mandatory at our sites across London."

At 35kg each the road plates, made from GRP (glass-reinforced plastic), are lighter and stronger than traditionally used steel, meaning a two-man team can move them without the need for machinery.

Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, said:

"Thames Water is undertaking a hugely important and massive programme of work to replace the capital's antiquated water mains. I have been terrifically impressed with the way they have responded to my call for improvements and they deserve particular praise for leading the way on plating. I hope that other utility companies will follow their example."

The plates will be used initially at VMR sites on roads under the jurisdiction of Transport for London (TfL). Thames Water is in talks with highways departments at a number of London boroughs about introducing plating in their areas at a later date.

Thames Water has ordered 800 of the high-visibility, interlocking yellow plates, which will appear in London this month. They are designed to cover 'lateral' trenches that go across the road. Work continues to design 'linear' plates, which will enable vehicles to drive over trenches dug lengthways along the road. Plating will be a requirement for all Thames Water's VMR roadworks in the next five-year period, 2010 to 2015.