The A421 is finally drained - Back to business soon!

[@SlimHandle]

I finally picked the right week to go on holiday, couldn't believe so many local roads turned to rivers when I came back.

[@markthorne7450]

I live in Brogborough And will be so god damn glad when the bypass is reopend It’s an absolute nightmare with the amount of traffic

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

I bet, I normally go via broborough but I've been staying well away.

[@mycrochettherapy]

Even going to work at 3am these last few days on the old A421 has been no fun. Imagine traffic backing up at that time of the morning! I can't wait for the A421 to reopen 🙏🏽

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

3am!!

[@geoffcrabtree657]

Maaaan! Thank you for this coverage!! 💯 The best coverage by a country mile on this situation for all folks that have been/soon to be affected by this situation. This closure is absolutely massive as this a MAJOR trunk route!! Keep up the great work and don’t say Fook or Booger’

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Thanks man, appreciate it. 👍

[@TombolaTrillionaire]

No f***ing about made me chuckle 🤣🤣

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

I try not to swear but the passion of the moment got me.

[@TombolaTrillionaire]

@@ProjectUniversalUK no o bloody love the swearing! Makes it so much better haha!

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

@TombolaTrillionaire I agree, I swear a fair bit in real life but I need to try and keep this KZbin channel family friendly. It will be focusing on a theme park after all.

[@TombolaTrillionaire]

@@ProjectUniversalUK I completely get that. I could never be a KZbinr I swear like a sailor 🙈 hopefully we get the green light soon!

[@SNAFUferret]

Loving everything about your uploads. So much better than the usual plonkers with a drone.

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Thanks, you're right, drone videos are pretty boring until you add context and character.

[@Brynben1]

Usual plonkers with a drone haha classic, thank you😂

[@MichaelPowner]

Thanks for these videos been keeping an eye on your updates top work thanks

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

No problem 👍

[@tractorboy2002]

Excellent work on updating us on progress. Fingers crossed it can be used soon!

[@tinplategeektoo]

Well known fact that hi-vis clothing and a hard hat makes you invisible. No one will look twice at you or make eye contact. Great to see the road getting cleaned up and hopefully the structural engineers wont find any damage to the road too.

[@scottmuckleston3308]

Glad the A421 is nearly cleaned up. I hope it opens up next week. The traffic was getting off the A421 at the A6 junction at Bedford and travelling down the A6 to Luton causing long queues at the A6 at Streatley roundabout (to get to junction 11A of the M1 Motorway at Sundon.) on the top of the Barton bypass and it was causing long queues on the A6 in to Luton and along stockingstone Road upto Hightown of Luton for the traffic to get to the Junction 10 of the M1 Motorway. Once the A421 opens next week the traffic will get to J13 junction instead of the traffic going down the A6 to Luton to get to J10 junction of the M1 Motorway. Some days to do a 15 minute Journey to work it took me over 1hrs to get to work though Luton to get to Stopsley were the factory is.

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

It's knock on effect is all over Bedfordshire

[@michaelantoine1594]

well done to the people who worked round the clock to clear the flood.

[@JenniferMeadham]

Amazing your doing great with this update

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Thank you

[@gunnyo50]

It still boggles my mind on how bad the flooding was down there. The whole purpose of the dual carriageway was to ease the traffic on the old A421. They kinda need to sort out the pump and drainage situation there so it don't happen again.

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Terrible pump station design

[@stuey300]

I hope they've taken the opportunity to pick up all the litter that lines the verges of this road while it's been closed. But I'm guessing probably not!

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Doubt it

[@BenLuis732]

That control panel for the pump station would be replaced. Looks like there would be 3 Flygt pumps in this station more likely on a 6inch discharge.

[@bungfupanda8936]

Judging by the size of that gantry over the pump well, the pump is way too small to deal with heavy rainfall, also having the control cabinet within the flood risk area isn't a great idea unless it's fully IP68 rated, which it probably isnt to be honest. Water collecting on that section of the A421 has been a problem since it opened, there's been a flood warning triangle placed in both directions for years. Futher along the A421 there is another flooding risk,heading east between the Kempston junction and the A6 junction where the road passes under the railway, water collects across both carriageways of the slip road, that has been occurring both before and after the main A421 flooding at Marston. A lot of the drainage gullies around Bedford have foliage growing out of them, which speaks volumes to the drainage maintenance or lack thereof.

[@TheToastPeople]

Looking at those valves i would say there must be 4 big pumps under there! doubt they got stolen very heavy.

[@JenniferMeadham]

Please keep them up

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

I plan to.

[@ededdynova]

Wonder how long to replace all the electrical components and pumps in the pumping station ready for the next down pour

[@MrDonuts10101]

Yep tacho does apply to road sweeper. Bin lorries are exempt

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Thanks for that.

[@apremji75]

Wicked!!!

[@harryjones5260]

a video drone pilot telling other people to 'wind their neck in' is hilarious

[@googleboughtmee]

I was there just a few hours ago (about quarter past 1 actually). I swear to christ I'll get on one of your vids eventually 😂

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

You won't spot me, I never go where the crowds go, always find my own little spot.

[@googleboughtmee]

@@ProjectUniversalUK I just want to spot myself on the vid :)

[@jamesbowskill362]

wow !!!!! ITS CLEARED ! just in time for next weeks deluge again, as per the Met office forecast... You only have to look at the bridge water marks & how high they were to appreciate how deep the water was. SO, they have sorted the problem for NOW......have they sorted out THE cause?.....NAH

[@richardlaw5737]

But have the fixed the pumping station?? Possibly really heavy rain next week could cause issues

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

As far as I know they have not yet.

[@jjones5083]

Already far cleaner than this by ~16:00 today

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Amazing! I filmed this today around 1pm.

[@Dan200]

You know, this Theme Park speculation channel turned into a civil engineering review channel so gradually, I didn't even notice.

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Ha! Yes, well the A421 flood is so close to the theme park site that it would be an issue if it happened while the park was open hence me covering it. Wait until the diggers turn up, that's all we will see for the next few years, diggers and concrete laying.

[@dawnmelbourne5636]

Poor old Cranfield 😂 what about poor old Brogborough 😂😂😂 living here is bad enough 😂

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

I don't go that way atm so can't comment but I suspect it's a lot worse than crab field.

[@edc1569]

Any ideas where the water is normally pumped too?

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

No sorry I don't.

[@stevecarlisle7341]

It would make most sense to discharge into the brook that runs past Caulcott treatment plant, and have the flow balanced by Stewartby lake, but I can't say for sure.

[@Minipoppet]

Marsh Leys junction at Kempston

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

That's the one!!

[@iaindobson3387]

What happens if it rains heavily?

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Umbrella?

[@martinmumper3355]

You wouldn't lift the pumps without someone knowing it's a long and complicated job and they are not small and that pumping station would be connected to the phone line would have rang in control cabinet open multiple pump failures then a high level in wet well pumps will be ok but the control panel will be wrecked thats going to take time and money they are bespoke still can't understand why it happened would love a proper explanation from one pump tec to another possibly mains failure is the top contender bad design and underestimating flow rates another

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Hopefully they will release a statement and explain exactly what went wrong.

[@davedave6404]

@@ProjectUniversalUK It is unlikely any statement, which I agree will be released soon, would ever tell the whole story, Insurance companies lurking for any signs of negligence etc. Any statements would have to pass through the press office, born liars by profession (sorry economical with the actuality, spin doctors), Insurance company, Legal Department and Management types who will have their arse deflectors at maximum force while finding some low salaried, overworked, low life expendable (their view, not mine as a former low lifer) to carry the can. My take on this is that the panel and pumps were out of action as part of a planed upgrade, because this has been a problem for years. Perhaps a supply fail of course It is so much better to blame the "wrong type of rain" or climate change (of course much more rain/hour events are occurring) though. You can be sure that the following inquiry will state that they are very sorry for any inconvenience caused, that "lessons will be learned", procedures in place to minimise any future events such as this and so on.

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

@davedave6404 sad but probably true. I totally agree with not wanting to say what happened in fear of compromising an insurance claim.

[@roberts7961]

Easy fix, just build a flyover lol

[@ProjectUniversalUK]

Or a tunnel 🤔