See below for an update from the Havant Transport and Implementation Team. We don’t yet have dates for the closure but will post them here when we do.
It’s good to see more improvement. It’s early days, but the new section seems much better than the southern section, so we’re hoping it will set the standard for future improvements.
The update provides interesting insights into the planning that’s going in to the development. I hadn’t considered that the work might also help protect other sections of the trail.
Having completed the 250m long rebuild of the north end of the Trail, the granular material for which is presently behaving as expected, we have been able to commission a further length of rebuilding. This will be from the west end of the section recently rebuilt, southwards down the trail along the railway route, towards the Oysterbeds north access, along a length that whilst firm underfoot is poorly drained and has a poor surface which traps water in wet weather. Funding is from the Hayling Billy 50 (‘HB50’) project.
The construction will be different from that used on the initial 250m section, since the railway solum is wider. We plan to excavate a 2m wide shallow trench (100mm or so deep) down the west side of the Trail and use this shallow trench for the construction of the new path. In this way we hope to avoid the use of edging timbers and so as a result be able to rebuild a longer section of path using the money ‘saved’. The untouched east side of the path will remain suitable for equestrians and it is planned to erect small notices suggesting pedestrians and cyclists use the west side and equestrians the east side. This all hinges on how well we can excavate the shallow trench for the new material, and also achieving correct drainage which may require some work to the east side. We’re taking levels today just to confirm matters, but I thought you would appreciate a ‘heads up’ regarding this extra work which will require, as before, a 3 week closure of the Trail. In this way we should be clear by the school holiday.
Excess material coming off the Trail from the excavation of the west side, will be used to supplement shoreline defences alongside the Trail in this location. You may have seen we have already been doing this at the north end of the Trail, using surplus materials from the ‘main job’.
I shall be interested to see the results of this proposal
Perhaps Cycle Hayling can sort out the presentation of their posts on Facebook? The big plain space looks pretty silly!
The layout is entirely under Facebook’s control. There’s nothing we can do about it.
Andy
Bravo! The new stuff at the end of the Billy is bliss to ride on, but the rest is getting steadily worse. I picked up a front tyre puncture after going up and down it on Tuesday, had it fixed …and then got a puncture in the back tyre the next day while riding the Billy! That makes more than a dozen this year alone, and I have pretty sturdy hybrid tyres front and back. BTW, I see that a piece about six feet long of the good stuff from the Billy has been laid on top of the crunchy gravel track from the fun fair past the monument and towards East Stoke corner. Either it is a tester or they are lulling us into thinking they are going to cover the whole track soon!
Great news. Thanks.
Hi Andy I’d try harder to solve the problem!
George East. I spoke to the workmen doing the new northern section of the Billy. They said they had some of the surface material left over and were going to put it on the seafront path, as far as it would go – don’t expect any more!
Peter Drury has let us know that work will start on 7th July and the trail will be closed for three weeks.
We are a cycling group coming over from the IOW on Thursday next week, the 24th July, intending to cycle the Hayling Billy Leisure LIne. Will it be closed? If so, we shall have to post pone our trip. PLease let me know. Thank you. MH-W
I’ve been on the Hayling to Paris ride last week and immediately travelled up north visiting family, so I don’t have any first hand knowledge. The path is due to be closed all next week but there’s scope for the work to finish early. I’ll try to find out.
Andy
I understand HBC will contact you directly with the latest info. I’m told that the work will continue to the week-end. It’s possible the workmen will allow you past (the new section does not cover the full width of the path). They’ve let others through.
Andy