The first week back at work for me and noting had happened on the interchange it still looked like it was before the year ended, mind you it had rained and did it rain which lead me to believe they had not started because of it.
All the plant looks the same parked up
but I did get a chance to get a view of the huge hole which had been dug out on the bridleway
Round the south bound slip road side there was a huge puddle of water
The next week it looked different with a lot of construction traffic moving about
along with earth being moved
the South bound site had just as much work going on as well
Week three and the first layer of a road had been put down, recycled material
and from the looked formed a road down the site
Round the South bound site there were a lot of fenced off areas where manholes had been dug
Surveyors were seen taking readings
The first week into Feb and you could see things again were moving along
as they had placed cones on the sliproad coming off the north bound A34
more cones marked out the service road for the interchange site offices
What I noticed on the other side was that a lot of pea shingle had arrived for the drainage going in
Feb also saw the sliproad off the A34 having an upgrade in that it was widened
and built out to move the road over
The road was taking shape as it lead down to the A34
Around the Southbound side a lot of fencing had been placed around the drains going in
This photo was to show the road leading to Hagbourne Hill, I suspected it would change soon after
Towards the end of Feb the roundabout on the North side carriageway was beginning to take shape and have hardcore laid
The new off sliproad was built up
and surveyors were taking measurements
so by the end of Feb they were laying the kerb stones on the South bound roundabout and sliproad
The road by the fence now awaiting connecting to the new part
The road layout now shaping out
It would not be long before this view changed
Mid March saw things had moved on again
With the road and kerb stones clearly in place
right down to the hardcore base
Down by the bridleway you could see rebar being erected for the bridge or tunnel
Traffic islands were clearly seen on the South bound side roundabout
and the new North bound off sliproad was nearing the time the tarmac was laid
Above a stitch shot of South Side off the A34 roundabout. On the left you can see the pelleted kerb stones waiting to be laid
Further down the site scaffold is in place for building up the rebar
Round near the village and the Hagbourne road you can see the fence is now moved out
with lots of work happening
The drains are in place on the roundabout
and the widened sliproad has soil laid up the side of the sliproad
Round the A34 south side they had laid the hardcore
and the surface looked like it would soon be getting a layer of tarmac
Two days later that is just what happened
The first layer of asphalt went down
Above it was still going on when I too this photo from the car at the traffic lights. On the right they were getting the sliproad ready for a layer of tarmac the following week
The new surface soon got dirty from the construction traffic
The embankment of the roundabout on the North bound side was also getting a surface of topsoil
April came and the road by the sliproad had a blue line marking where the kerb was going and the road diverted
Took a reference photo of the road at the time before the roundabout was built
The roundabout on the other hand seem to be taking ages to get done though they were laying the chevrons on the roundabout
The sliproad looked about ready for tarmac
Further down site scaffold was in place and from the look shuttering for the concrete
Mid April and the Islands on the South bound roundabout were in-filled with hardcore
The new road was taking shape now
Above they had placed traffic lights on the road for single lane use and on the old sliproad off the A34 going North the Surface had been laid on the extension
How often do you get to stand in the middle of a sliproad to get a photo with no traffic
opposite the site seem to change slowly
by the end of April you could see the concrete on the bridge side where the shuttering had been removed
The Southbound roundabout now looked like it should be with the chevrons nearly done
Second week of May and the surface was laid
the first layer was going down
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The old road coming off the A34 had holes in where the pecker had drilled
and on the other roundabout the traffic was diverted around the roundabout while the kerbing went in and the old road removed
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You could see some peck marks in the road
On the North bound Roundabout all you could see where cones
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and more tarmac going down
Around May time I started visiting on a Friday evening as I found it a little uncomfortable taking photos while people were at work as they kept looking at me when I took them like this one where the footpath is being removed. I think they felt I was spying
The roundabout was really moving on with the surface being laid down the sliproad
It was looking near to a finished state
Not a good stitch but shows the roundabout coming off the South side of the A34
Traffic light were still directing the traffic as well
but the old road was now gone from site and a new footpath had gone in
The contractors went though water in the heat
the new sliproad extension open and in use, you can see over on the right the oldone has been backfilled
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The South off roundabout now with a covering of topsoil
Waiting at the traffic lights going towards the South off Roundabout
They also started to redevelop the footpath by Chilton Village
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and the roadside was tided up on the other side
so by June they were laying a new path on the old entrance road to Manor Court
by then a drainage pond had been dug and culvert put in
all that was needed was the road to be finished off and the roundabout would be in use
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Over on the Bridleway the tunnel had now been cast and you could see the roof and parapet in place
The roundabout was all but finished
and they had now cut a small trench for the kerb stones on the North bound Roundabout
Though they were still working on the bridleway bridge
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made me wonder how long it would be before the backfilled it
The northbound roundabout from near the sliproad at the end of June
In mid July I looking towards where the road is being diverted
The island near Chilton Garden Centre had been back filled with topsoil
And on the opposite side the island was complete now forcing traffic around the roundabout
Which now had the chevrons around 90% of the circumference
The old one at Chilton was being updated
New markings had been placed on the road near the roundabout off the North bound carriageway
and the new surface was going down in the sliproad off the A34 South
the roundabout was all but finished
More than could be said for the other where Thames Water wer3e laying new pipes. I wondered why it could not have been done months ago before it started
The sliproad on was more of a parking lot
with all types of stuff left there over the weekend
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but the bridge was back filled and had an excavator parked on it
By August the old roundabout was looking new
so was the embankment off the South side carriageway
Buy September the roundabout was clear
so was the sliproad till the next car appered
work was going on with the bridleway bridge as they finished off the work
The other side was done
In October traffic light appeared on the crossing
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and I had a walk up the sliproad coming off the A34
and took a photo of the new sign
Both on sliproad
and off sliproads were finished
with a sweeping road to the A34
clear access to the roundabouts
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November and all the roads were clear
Traffic lights were working
On November the 10th 2016 the new interchange opened for use just over two years since it was announced
The whole road system around Chilton had changed for good. Why it was never built in the first place I do not know but it can only be a benefit to the Harwell campus which is expanding and the ever expanding housing estates in the area.
Hope you have enjoyed the work I have done on this project there is a more in-depth article on Geograph plus over 1000 photos that went into covering it. Now what next
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