"We love it" - Meet the mum and daughter keeping the roads safe with National Highways at Hindhead Tunnel
A mum and daughter duo are helping to keep roads in the South East safe.
Debbie Wood, 48 , and Jordan Cummings, 25, both from Horndean, work alongside each other for National Highways at the Hindhead Tunnel. The News had a behind the scenes visit of the busy section of the A3 on Wednesday, November 19 while the tunnel was closed to allow essential maintenance work to take place.
Debbie and Jordan were on hand to give us a tour of the tunnel and reveal the work that goes on behind the scenes to keep road users safe. They both have an infectious enthusiasm for the work that they do, with Jordan inspired by her mum from a young age.
She said: “When I was really little, my nan used to live far away, so on the drive up there she would ask me loads of questions of things that are on the motorway, like markers, signs, and different types of barriers. I would enjoy answering the questions so I thought I would follow in her footsteps.”
Debbie has been working at Hindhead for 16 years, starting before the tunnel opened, and now has the role of tunnel safety office while Jordan is a control room team manager. Both have prominent roles in the safe running of not only the Hindhead Tunnel but the South East road network as a whole.
Jordan said: “We look after the south east strategic road network, that is all of the major A roads and motorways under the M25 from Dover to Bere Regis. That includes any asset in the area, so for any road traffic collisions we send the sub contractors out to clear debris and any spillages.
“We deal with incidents on the network, if you ever see a gritter out on the road, that is probably us that sent them out as we make the winter decision for the gritters.”
The Control Room has every inch of the Hindhead tunnel covered by CCTV with Jordan and her team monitoring upcoming weather and receiving calls regarding incidents on the roads in the region. Alongside the CCTV, they are also supported by a radar system which picks up potential obstructions in the road automatically flagging it and reducing speeds to 40mph.
Debbie’s role is concerned with the overall safety of the tunnel network. She said: “As well as Hindhead I manage two other tunnels, Southwick and Roundhill. I act as an independent authority on safety issues and do training exercises with emergency services and ensure the control room staff are fully trained. I ensure everyone’s safety in the tunnel.”
The short trip up the A3 is worth it for the duo who couldn't envisage working anywhere else. Debbie said: “We love it. It’s different every single day, you don't know what is going to happen. Some days are quite challenging and hard but its a really enjoyable job.”
While last week’s closure was down to maintenance, there are also a number of issues which can cause closures and delays around the Hindhead Tunnel. Further details on those issues and how drivers can help can be found here.