Angus Young: Closing a busy road for seven weeks is rubbing salt into the wounds
Angus Young: Off The Record ...
I appreciate there is never a good time to repair a road. For example, carrying out work in the winter months brings obvious potential problems.
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WARNING: A sign on County Road flyover in west Hull.
I'm sure the process of allocating money in the budget cycles of local councils and the procurement timetable behind appointing contractors also play a part.
But I'm at a loss to explain the thinking behind the timing of next week's closure of the County Road flyover in west Hull.
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The route, which is part of the unofficial ring road around the city, is expected to be closed for seven weeks while repairs are carried out.
Yes, that's right – seven weeks.
So the main arterial road providing a link to large parts of west Hull and beyond is being closed at precisely the same time as restrictions remain in place in three main roads directly leading to and from it, namely Chanterlands Avenue, Bricknell Avenue and Hull Road in Cottingham thanks to ongoing work upgrading underground power supplies.
That work, which has been dragging on since June, isn't expected to be completed until December.
Spare a thought for the HGV drivers – many of them from distant corners of Europe – who normally service firms based in the industrial estates of National Avenue, which lies just around the corner from the flyover.
Unable to use Perth Street West because of the overhead railway bridge, their normal entry and exit route is via the flyover.
From Monday, it's either head up to Cottingham via the roadworks and the temporary traffic lights on Bricknell Avenue and the railway level crossing or head down Chanterlands Avenue via the roadworks and the temporary traffic lights.
Imagine all that during the school run.
There's also the small matter of Hull Fair looming on the horizon and, of course, in case you had forgotten, further towards the city centre another east-west route along Park Street is closed to traffic for another eight weeks for repairs.
To rub salt into the wounds of any driver like me who will have to negotiate all of this chaos between now and Christmas, we're being told it's all down to, er, salt.
Apparently years of salt being scattered on the flyover during winter gritting has corroded the concrete so much that it's on the point of collapse.
Maybe it's time to leave the car at home, get my bike out and take a leaf out of Bradley Wiggins's book instead.
Comments
by Avondaler
Saturday, September 22 2012, 8:52PM
“ppwppw - yes I can confirm that there will still be pedestrian and cycle access. I rang the council last week to confirm as I cycle that way everyday :)”
by David_Nivea
Saturday, September 22 2012, 11:59AM
“@Donkeydan: "David _Nivea, but they are not repairing the roads at Chants,Priory or Hull Rd!"
Did anyone say they were?”
by AstonomiaSK
Saturday, September 22 2012, 10:50AM
“Could be worse, it could be that you sign a deal to widen a few hundered yards of road and improve 4 roundabouts with Johnson civil engineering on the A165 at Willerby. 47 weeks to do a bog standard job and still the engineering is not up to standard.”
by boruss
Friday, September 21 2012, 8:43PM
“Pity any blue light vehicles trying to get through ...
Surley its the polices job to see that traffic is flowing .
Its a wide road surley it could be done in sections and ease the congestion.”
by Demonica666
Friday, September 21 2012, 5:45PM
“Chants, Bricknell and Hull Rd Cott are chaotic at present. There is a noticeable increase in aggressive driving, impatience and road rage this week. Of course this is not the fault of anyone involved in the upgrades (purely inconsiderate road users), but I think it would have been wise to stagger the work so that one ends and another begins. I fully appreciate that these changes needed to happen, but perhaps more consideration should have been given into the timing of them.”
by ppwppw
Friday, September 21 2012, 4:59PM
“I'm assuming there will still be access for pedestrians on the footpath, could anyone confirm this for me please.
Thanks”
by Donkeydan
Friday, September 21 2012, 2:51PM
“David _Nivea, but they are not repairing the roads at Chants,Priory or Hull Rd!”
by SnothillBaz
Friday, September 21 2012, 2:49PM
“The joke is that in approx 1960, Hull needed a ring road to the docks, from the old A63 trunk road. So instead of a providing a suitable dual carriageway, the council decided, to save money, to post 'Ring Road' signage from Boothferry Road/Calvert Lane junction, right around the city using existing single lane roads. Which was a disaster from day one, most of the ring road cutting through residential areas, including North Hull Estate, Sutton Road, Ings Road, right through to Hedon Road. So instead of a multi-million pound construction investment to bring economic growth to the area, Hull City Council spent exactly £4 13s 6d on road signs.”
by Avondaler
Friday, September 21 2012, 2:00PM
“KiminHull - clearly you don't know the area - National Avenue area and routes to the Uni etc are not a decent bus route - in fact buses don't go over County Road at all and the area is badly serviced by buses.
An extra addition to the already congested routes around that area which have been mentioned is that the Uni students are back on Monday too - so even more congestion. It would have been better planned to do the work during the summer when the traffic is lighter in general.”
by ian_from_kc
Friday, September 21 2012, 1:53PM
“Wellbeloved3, thinkabout it: traffics backed up on springbank west and chants ave as well and needs time to clear. It is already linked in and it set to change in the way it does to allow the other routes to flow out of town. How long are you really kept waiting at a red light, 30 seconds? As for GPH315, the lights your on about only change when traffic approaches them - they are fairly new compared to others so it shouldnt be too bad.
Stop moaning people and be glad things are being repaired!!!”