Sinkhole season sees A40 in Cheltenham closed for whole Bank …
Yet another sinkhole in Cheltenham[1] is causing delays and diversion for motorists after a large hole opened and swallowed part of the road surface on a well-travelled route through the town. The closure is set to affect traffic all the way through the Bank Holiday weekend and might not be fixed until later next week.
Gloucestershire Highways[2] crews were called to the A40 Suffolk Road, a main route just south of Montpellier Gardens, earlier today (August 25), after a sinkhole opened up and made the route unsafe for drivers. The hole was barricaded off, pending further investigations by road maintenance teams.
A two-way traffic light system has been put in place on the road to manage vehicles moving around the sinkhole, which could cause major congestion for motorists over the Bank Holiday weekend[3] and into next week, as well as on adjoining roads. Suffolk Road will then see a full closure on Tuesday (August 29) while the hole is investigated.
Sinkholes can be common at this time of year in Cheltenham, as changes in rainfall can cause subsidence in the road that eventually opens into a full sinkhole. Other routes in Montpellier have already been affected by sinkholes this summer, including Bath Road and Montpellier Terrace.
A previous sink hole on the A46 Bath Road (Image: tommy boy @PartybeastTomF)
Previously, the county council has explained why Cheltenham is prone to sink holes[5]. A spokesperson said: “Sinkholes appear more frequently following wet winters, with long periods of rainfall causing the water table to rise.
“When the water table drops, the hydrated sandy soils can flow as a liquid – creating voids under the roads. This is often referred to as ‘running sand’.
“For the sand to flow, it needs to have somewhere to flow to, and in many cases this will be into small cracks in sewer pipes or joints in the Victorian brick-built sewers.
“Because the sand on which Cheltenham is built is very fine, it can flow through cracks that are hard for the water authority to spot, even with a CCTV survey. The majority of sewers are located under the road network, which is why sinkholes happen in the road.”
References
- ^ Cheltenham (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
- ^ Gloucestershire Highways (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
- ^ Bank Holiday weekend (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
- ^ Cotswolds champion racehorse trainer set to expand operation after rapid rise to the top (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)
- ^ why Cheltenham is prone to sink holes (www.gloucestershirelive.co.uk)