11 hours Ago By Tom Burnett
A major UK A-road remains closed almost two weeks after horror floods saw it submerge under millions of litres of water. The A421, between Bedford and Milton Keynes, first shut to traffic on Sunday, September 22, after heavy rain that also saw schools closed and homes flooded in a number of areas of Bedfordshire and surrounding counties. More than a month's worth rain fell in the area in the space of just 48 hours, with the flooding of a local pumping station contributing to the amount of water on the road.
The closures remain in place and traffic is being diverted as millions of litres of water continue to be pumped off the road. More than 70 million litres of water have been cleared from the road, according to National Highways, enough to fill 28 Olympic swimming pools. However work to remove water using specialist equipment continues.
And on Friday National Highways confirmed parts of the road surface will need to be relaid after the flooding left them 'compromised'. Martin Fellows, regional director for National Highways in the East of England, said: “We have carried out early testing so we can have all the arrangements in place to undertake any work as soon as the remaining floodwater has been removed. We expect that to be early next week and then we will be working around the clock to carry out repairs and get the road reopened as soon as it is safe to do so.
“It may be possible to open some elements of the road towards the end of next week – such as one lane in each direction – but we will only do that when we are certain it’s safe. “I understand the disruption this has caused to local people and those that rely on this section of road, and I would like to extend my appreciation for their continued patience and support. I’d also like to thank our local partners in Bedfordshire for their ongoing help and collaboration.
“What we have encountered here has been truly unprecedented in terms of the record rainfall over a sustained period and its impact has been like nothing I have seen in my working life. “The progress we have made is very clear as we have removed more than 300 metres of floodwater – which is more than three times the length of the pitch at Wembley – But given the repairs that will be necessary to the road surface, I expect our work here will continue for further week.”.
