News on HS2 in Bucks & Oxfordshire

The new 400 metre-long road will take heavy good vehicles (HGVs) directly from the A413 Amersham Road to the site of the Chalfont St Peter vent shaft, avoiding the centre of the village, Robertswood School and the Epilepsy Society. The 60 metre-deep vent shaft is being built to provide ventilation and emergency access to the Chilterns tunnel. A single storey headhouse will be built on top containing fans and other technical equipment.

Once construction of the vent shaft is complete, the temporary access road will be removed and the land restored to its former condition. Mature trees will be retained at the perimeter of the vent shaft site, with new planting and wildlife habitats created around the building. In addition, a new temporary marshalled lorry holding area will also be put in place on the A413 near Gerrards Cross. HGVs can be held in this newly surfaced layby until their approach to the vent shaft site is clear – helping reduce congestion and eliminate queuing at the site entrance. The two projects are part of a package of mitigation measures designed to reduce the impact of construction on the local community.

Alongside the new access route, completed by a team led by our main works contractor, Align JV, we have also agreed to work with local highways authorities on a series of road improvements across Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire designed to ease traffic flows during construction. This includes a new relief road at Chipping Warden, road widening and improvement at Wardington and junctions close to Great Missenden.

If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email hs2enquiries@hs2.org.uk .