Major flood alleviation scheme in Worcestershire complete

A much-needed programme of works to reduce the impact of flooding on local residents and businesses at Upton-on-Severn, Worcestershire, is now complete.

The work, delivered by Worcestershire County Council, focused on raising the A4104 in Upton-Upon-Severn, meaning the road will be less likely to be affected by future floods.

Councillor Tony Miller, Worcestershire County Council’s Cabinet Member with Responsibility for Environment, said: “The delivery of this huge project was vital for the local area and I’m delighted that the works are now complete.

“Flooding has impacted this community in previous years in a way that most of us across the county will thankfully never experience. To know that the likelihood of this road flooding in the future is dramatically reduced, is fantastic.

“I would like to personally thank the project team for their hard work and dedication in delivering this complex scheme. I’d also like to thank local residents and businesses who have supported the scheme throughout. It’s not been easy through the disruption, but I hope, once the dust settles, having a road that is less likely to flood in the future, will be worth it.”

The major scheme, which started in September 2017, has been hailed a feat in engineering due to its complexity. Not only did the road need to be raised by nearly 1 metre n places, extensive modelling of flood waters was needed to ensure the impact to the surrounding areas was kept to a minimum and a completely new drainage system installed.

Gary Woodman, Chief Executive of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “It is great to see the flood alleviation work in Upton is now finished.

“Flooding provides a huge challenge for the local business community and the complex alleviation work will ensure that this crucial transport link can stay open for all those travelling, working and visiting this part of the county.”

Phases 1 and 2 of the scheme were completed ahead of schedule in Spring last year. These first two phases saw the installation of a new dedicated right hand turn into the marina, new wider footpaths, upgraded street lighting and a newly resurfaced and white lined stretch of raised road.

Phase 3 was carefully scheduled to start in September 2018 to ensure traffic was kept as smooth as possible during the important festival activities over the summer months. This phase of the scheme saw 24 circular culverts and 2 box (square) culverts inserted under the main road. These huge drainage systems will help to reduce the risk of flooding by allowing water to pass under the road where, previously, there were only five culverts all of which were over 100 years old.

The road on this part of the A4104 was then raised, resurfaced and relined, similar to the works completed in phase 1 of the scheme.

In addition to increasing the road's resilience to future flooding the opportunity was taken to widen and re-align it. The whole project required significant diversions of major services and close co-ordination with BT, Severn Trent Water Ltd and Western Power Distribution.

Half of the funding for this scheme came via the Local Growth Fund through the Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership and the rest from Worcestershire County Council.

Minister for Local Growth, Jake Berry MP, said: “We’re committed to boosting economic growth across the Midlands Engine and whole of the UK and building a Britain fit for the future.

“I’m delighted that £4m from the Local Growth Fund has been invested in this vital flood alleviation programme, which will minimise road closures in the future and ensure Worcestershire remains open for business."

Throughout the scheme the project team worked closely with festival organisers, local businesses and residents to ensure they were kept up to date with progress and that disruption was kept to a minimum.

This flood alleviation scheme in Upton forms part of a programme of schemes delivered by Worcestershire County Council to reduce the risk of flooding on key sections of the highway network throughout the county; keeping the county ‘open for business’.