Acton Lane reopens after days of traffic chaos

Image above: Acton Lane opened on Monday evening

Contractor issued with fixed penalty notice by LB Hounslow

After days of traffic chaos, Acton Lane between Chiswick Park station and the High Road has finally reopened. The contractor in charge of the works has been fined.

The project to lay electricity cables to new buildings on Essex Place faced a minor delay, with work being partially completed on Monday evening (30 October), a day behind schedule, as heavy rain that plagued the construction efforts.

The good news is that the road closure will no longer be a concern. Work will continue on the footpath near the zebra crossing on Bollo Lane until Wednesday with no further road or lane closures required.

Hounslow Council, responsible for overseeing the project has issued a fixed penalty notice to OCU Group, the contractor working for utility company SSE, for failing to erect adequate advance warning signs.

The works started on Saturday 21 October with planned one-way closures. Problems arose as drivers consistently ignored directional closures, leading to altercations with construction workers. In response to these issues, a Hounslow Highways’ Street Works Manager assessed the situation on-site last Wednesday and Thursday.

As a result, in agreement with the contractor, a decision was made on Thursday afternoon to close the road, primarily for the safety of road users, construction workers, shoppers accessing the nearby Sainsbury’s, and local residents.

The closure coincided with the suspension of District Line services by TfL for planned engineering works, compounding traffic congestion throughout Chiswick for the next five days.

Even after the road closure, some drivers appeared to be bewildered by the signage, with many attempting to access Acton Lane from Chiswick High Road. Some resorted to making U-turns, while others continued through the Sainsbury’s car park, which had recently removed its barriers due to the introduction of a new ANPR enforced parking regime.