Around three quarters of a mile of road has been resurfaced along Queen’s Avenue, with a team of twenty contractors working around the clock to get the route reopened as quickly as possible.

As the connecting road between the North and South areas of the Garrison, Queen’s Avenue is an important route for Army vehicles, passing by Aldershot’s Military Museum and the Army’s Montgomery House.

The works, which began on Saturday 16 March and completed on Thursday 28 March, represent an investment of around £435k towards improving Aldershot’s infrastructure. It is the largest highways scheme to be carried out to date by Aspire Defence Services Limited (ADSL), (contracting to Aggregate Industries), under the Project Allenby/Connaught contract with the MOD which began in 2006.

 

More than 800 metal fence panels were installed to safeguard passing pedestrians from site and special plant machinery was purchased in order to deliver the project on time and to the required high standard. The works, which involved operation of ten lorries making 13 visits, included removal of potholes, improved drainage to prevent ‘ponding’ and installation of two traffic light-controlled crossings using latest digital technology.

In excess of 1250 tonnes of road surface have been planed off for reuse and recycling, replaced with state-of-the-art Superflex material. Over 5 miles of new lining, centre markings and hatchings have been painted. Kerbs and pathways were renewed last year.

Mark Bassett, Programme Manager (ADSL), said:

“The new road surface will last for the remaining two decades of the PAC contract, so this project not only delivers aesthetic improvement and a much smoother ride for military and local drivers, it also represents excellent long-term value for money for the MOD.”

The programme of works has required extensive advance planning and collaboration with local authorities, emergency services, utilities companies and the Garrison, to ensure diversions were in place and that access into Aldershot camps was maintained for Service personnel via alternate gates. A leaflet drop was also carried out to keep residents of Service Families Accommodation at Blenheim Park informed.

Mark Furnival, Assistant Head of PAC (Defence Infrastructure Organisation), said:

“It is testament to the successful collaborative relationships at all levels of this Project that these works were completed within such a short timescale. This is an excellent example of our commitment to delivering a better defence estate for the British Army in Aldershot.”