Roehampton Lane remains closed this morning with Thames Water refusing to say when the road will reopen, leaving commuters facing the same chaos that brought Putney to a standstill yesterday.
The road could reopen Friday or stay shut until 14 January. Thames Water has a permit until next Tuesday but won’t confirm whether work will finish sooner.
Putney ground to a halt on Tuesday morning when six bus routes diverted through Dover House Road, where gas works have already narrowed the street. The residential road became a bottleneck as traffic backed up from Roehampton through Putney Heath to Putney High Street. Bus drivers stepped out of their vehicles trying to see what was causing the jam.
The road shut early Tuesday after a burst water main near Clarence Lane. Putney.news visited the site at 4pm and found no contractors working. Water had stopped gushing but the excavation sat empty behind barriers.
We contacted Thames Water three times on Tuesday with questions about the works’ duration and the fact that this water main is just one of three to have burst in Putney in the past week. The questions went unanswered and we were instead directed to a public database. The one.network database shows a permit until 14 January and shows work began on Sunday night.
What commuters face Wednesday
Bus diversions stay in place via Dover House Road, where gas works continue. Routes 265, 419, 493, 969, N72 and N74 are all affected. Stops between Rosslyn Park Rugby Football Club and Roehampton Lane/Danebury Avenue not served.
The same bottleneck that caused Tuesday morning’s gridlock will recur during rush hours, with the worst congestion easing by late morning yesterday but returning during peak times. Allow an extra 20-30 minutes for your journey, and alternative routes include Putney Hill and Upper Richmond Road heading north, A3 via Tibbet’s Corner heading south.
Anyone travelling to Roehampton University, Queen Mary’s Hospital or the Alton Estate should try to travel off-peak.
The Roehampton water main is the latest Thames Water failure in SW15. A burst on Carslake Road also caused bus diversions this week.
Thames Water said in December that freezing caused “twice the usual bursts”.
Check tfl.gov.uk/buses for live updates. Thames Water: 0800 316 9800 or thameswater.co.uk/network-latest.
Woodcoot House residents in 44 flats have been without water and toilet facilities for over 30 hours and are still receiving no information from Thames Water.
No other support or temporary water has been provided by either Thames Water or the council. It is sad to live in such inhumane conditions.