Cables on the move
This week marks another major landmark for going underground in the North Wessex Downs with the arrival of the new electricity cables on site.
Starting this week (commencing 28 October), we’ll be taking delivery of the 5m diameter drums carrying around 1000m of electricity cable which we will install underground.
There will be up to three deliveries per day, with a total of 72 deliveries taking place over the coming months. Deliveries will be completed in January 2025.
Please note that to help minimise impact on local roads all of the deliveries will be happening during weekdays and during daylight hours.
We will move the cables on large flat-bed trailers – you can see an example of what they look like below. As these are large vehicles, they will be travelling at slow speeds which could cause some traffic delays.
Once on site, the drums which weigh around 40-50 tonnes each will be moved on a trailer by tractor, as in the photograph below.
We have agreed our traffic management plans and routing with the highways authorities and all deliveries will be supervised by an experienced team of experts.
Departing from Kent, the trucks delivering the cables will travel along the M4 before leaving at junction 15.
From here they will head south along the A346, along the A4 at Marlborough before heading down the A361 into Devizes.
On the approach to Devizes they will be carefully accompanied into our construction compound through the Hopton Industrial Estate. Please note no vehicles will be travelling through the centre of Devizes or any unsuitable local roads.
Once the cables are finally in place, tested and operational in 2025, we will be able to start taking down the 13 pylons and 4.6km of overhead line to transform the surrounding landscape.
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the VIP project team directly by calling 0330 134 0051 or sending an email to: [email protected]
