Closed
Large Splits in road surface on bridge over motorway and south-sideapproach road Junction 4 M40
Sent to Buckinghamshire Council less than a minute later. FixMyStreet ref: 7994347.
As observed 18:30, 6/08/2025 - South-side roundabout on bridge over M40 at junction 2. At least two large, wide and deep splits in the roundabout road surface at the point immediately in front of the traffic lights that control admission of northbound traffic from the A335 from Farnham common. It looks like the sub-soil underneath the ramparts is drying out and the bridge is slipping down the hill towards Uxbridge This was previously reported 2 years ago and nothing appears to have been done. Further, a second split and slumping of the nearside carriageway of the southbound A355 south of the junction 2 roundabout, adjacent to the " Motorway Services"/shopping mall area, seems to have occurred recently. At the time this was observed (16:30, 6/08/2025), on the outbound leg of my journey, contractors were on site, had taped-off the affected area and appeared to be inspecting same. On the return leg of my journey (18:30, 6/08/2025) the contractors and taping had disappeared. Both of these are serious road defects which shouldn't be ignored and if Buckinghamshire aren't funded to undertake the repairs then they should approach central government.,
Updates
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The report has been passed to the Highway Officer, who will carry out an inspection of the issue within 10 working days, emergency defects will be corrected or made safe at the time of the inspection, if reasonably practicable to do so. In this context, making safe may constitute displaying warning notices, coning‐off or fencing‐off to protect the public from the defect or other suitable action. If the inspection team cannot make safe the defect at the time of inspection, then they will instigate the relevant emergency call procedures to ensure appropriate resources are mobilised to make the defect safe.
There may also be occasions when the issue reported will not be repaired as it has been classified as a minor defect and does not pose any risk to either the safety or the integrity of the highway, these are called minimum recording levels as specified in our Highways Safety Inspection Policy in these cases no action will be taken.
During winter months we receive a very high number of reports regarding potholes or a poor road surface, it's easy to assume that potholes are formed due to roads being poorly maintained but that is not usually the case. There are many factors that can cause potholes, particularly during the winter months when water seeps in through cracks in the road surface, collecting underneath and when the water freezes, it expands and creates cracks in the road surface. Our priority is always the safety of road users, so in some cases during busy periods a permanent repair is not always possible immediately. However, temporary repairs are a way to ensure the area is safe until such times as we can return to make a permanent repair.
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(Update
Buckinghamshire Highways Inspectors carry out monthly Highways Safety Inspection Policy on all A and B roads across the County, they will identify any safety defects and arrange to have the appropriate action taken.
A Roads are classed as major roads that link regional towns and cities. They are also sometimes referred to as 'trunk' roads, these can be either single or dual-carriageways and are found in both rural and urban areas.
B Road have lower traffic densities than the main trunk roads, or A roads. This classification has nothing to do with the width or quality of the physical road, and B roads can range from dual carriageways to single track roads with passing places.
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