Council highways engineers fix landslide

Surrey County Council’s highways team helped fix a landslide that was threatening a road and nearby homes. 

When land underneath Slines Oak Road in Woldingham started to slip down a hillside, Surrey County Council called in an expert team to fix one of the busiest routes through Tandridge district that also sits in an area of outstanding natural beauty.

The council’s roads team immediately realised that standard repairs could have worsened the road and damaged neighbours’ gardens, so they shipped in extra-strong steel from China to bolster the hillside. The steel was available from China cheaper and faster than any available across Britain or Europe. It was shipped to England within 12 weeks and custom-made into a Z shape for extra strength before being delivered to Woldingham.

The team then underpinned the road with the Chinese steel to stop further landslides, resurfaced the road and added new landscaping and barriers.

The project, which began after months of design work and geological testing, has been praised by neighbours after limiting road closures and improving the road on time and on budget.

John Furey, Surrey County Council’s cabinet member for highways, said:

“To have fixed an emergency landslip, sorted complex legal and engineering issues and delivered a fabulous new road on time and on budget is incredible.

“These works were crucial in restoring road links for this rural area’s residents. The project’s managers and contractors should take full credit for showing how working as one team delivers results by Surrey County Council. This is a good example of the intelligent approach used across our highways projects, in this case to prevent a major landslide and improve quality of life for our residents.”