MOTORISTS are being asked to take a ten-mile diversion through some of East Surrey's busiest areas when a road is closed for five months while "essential" roadworks are carried out.
Sutton and East Surrey Water's £1 million scheme to replace aging water mains along a 2km stretch of Pebble Hill Road, in Betchworth, were announced on Monday.
The works will close the road – which links Headley, Mickleham and Box Hill, among others, to the A25 – from September 8 until January, with the project due to be completed in March.
The round-the-clock closures will take effect between the A25 roundabout and Headley Common Road, with limited access for residents and businesses in the road, as well as emergency services.
The water company is suggesting traffic diverts around closures by travelling via the Tadworth Roundabout, Reigate Hill and the A25 – a trip ten times the length of the closed road and one which is likely to lead to more congestion in these areas.
One Pebble Hill Road resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: "It is ridiculous. It is beyond me how they can justify closing the road completely for so long.
"It is a very well-used road and is always busy and backed up, especially due to the level crossing. The route they've suggested is unbelievably busy as it is. They couldn't choose a busier three roads if they tried."
Victoria Peace, who lives in The Coombe, off Pebble Hill Road, said a ten-minute journey to her four-year-old son's school in Mickleham will now take more than an hour, as she can only access her home from the south.
"He starts at St Michael's School on the very same day and this has just ruined everything," she said. "My husband and I are very upset and we have had no communication about it."
Some of the three-inch, cast-iron mains being replaced date back to 1892, and new, larger diameter ductile iron mains will be laid to replace the pipework.
Sutton and East Surrey Water said advance warning and diversionary routing signs, as agreed with Surrey County Council, will be implemented, along with advisory letters.
Betchworth railway station, which is in Pebble Hill Road, is expected to stay open for the duration of the project, with access granted to users.
Project engineer Simon Thompson said: "Leakage and bursts have become more frequent in recent years, which shows the existing water mains in the area are reaching the end of their useful lifespan.
"We need to carry out this replacement work now to reduce the risk of mains failures and assure the security of water supplies for current customers and generations to come."
