Hello

I have been down to the crossing most days during the past week and I am delighted to report that it will soon be completed. This has all happened in ONE WEEK. Amazing! Clapping hands emoji to TFL.

Some super quick up-dates, live from the scene... 

- two Conway gangs have worked flat out day and night (Shift One: 8am-4pm; Shift Two: 3pm-11pm) since last Monday. A top geezer called Pat has been the guv'nor. The aim has been to get most of the work done during half term. 

- the job has "been a total nightmare of logistics - and bloody dangerous" (due to the proximity to and volume of traffic).

- workers told me that numerous members of the public have actually been saying "Thank you" to them.  One Conway man - smoking a roll-up, whilst sipping his tea and admiring the river view - told me: "In all my years of doing this work, I've never 'ad people come up and say 'Thanks for doing this'. It has been f****** unbelievable!" Polite folk, round this area. :)

- Jack Ryan's parents visited the area during this time and saw the progress at the crossing. Teresa posted a most kind and supportive Tweet about the works and this campaign.

- matching paving has not been fitted on the newly changed sections of pavement because of the timescale of this job. The two boroughs only gave TFL a window of seven days, so its officers instructed Conway to use tarmac in order to "expedite" the works within the allowed timeframe. TFL has set aside the budget to return to the site to lay new paving at a later date. This may even take place as late as Phase 2 (installing crossings on other arms of the Cheyne Walk crossroads) to avoid added disruption at this busy intersection.*

- the "heads" of the lights will go up today.  Then a team from Siemens will begin the synchronisation.

- Rob McGibbon is due to join Conway as a lead tea maker and kerb angle-grindsta in the coming weeks.

I hope my next report will be to announce the completion of the crossing. (RM/1/11)  

*This paragraph was amended on 2/11/21 from an earlier draft which wrongly stated that there had been an error at TFL in pre-ordering the right size of paving. Apols. Ed.