East of England Roadworks update: 7-13 September 2009
NEW WORK
A1(M) HERTFORDSHIRE LETCHWORTH ROAD BRIDGE REPAIRS
A scheme to repair the Letchworth Road bridge under the A1(M) between Baldock and Letchworth will begin on Monday 7 September. The work involves replacing the existing northbound parapet and safety fencing, resurfacing work and repairs to the bridge structure caused by water damage. All work will be carried out overnight.
From Monday 7 to Thursday 17 September there will be overnight lane closures on the A1(M) on both the northbound and southbound carriageways between 8pm and 6am.
From Friday 18 September to Sunday 27 September there will be an overnight contraflow system in place on the A1(M) between junctions 9 and 10 to allow for the bridge joints to be replaced. There will be two lanes running in each direction.
Once the bridge joint work is completed the resurfacing of the Letchworth Road bridge will take place. This will be carried out over two separate weeks – from Monday 28 September to Friday 2 October, and from Monday 12 October to Friday 16 October. An overnight contraflow will be in place during the work, with one lane open in each direction.
From Monday 12 October until Friday 20 November the B656 (Letchworth Road) will be reduced to one lane with temporary traffic lights in place. There will also be two overnight closures of the B656 on Thursday 22 October and Tuesday 17 November, with a clearly signed diversion route in place.
REMINDER: A14 CAMBRIDGE NORTHERN BYPASS RESURFACING
A major scheme to resurface both carriageways of a 2.6 mile stretch of the A14 between Junction 34, Fen Ditton, and Junction 35, at Stow-cum-Quy, will begin on Monday 7 September. The work will be carried out overnight only as follows:
Mondays to Wednesdays - 8pm to 6am
Thursdays - 8pm to 7am
Fridays - 9pm to 6am.
Overnight work during the weekends will take place on Saturday from 7pm to 8am and on Sundays from 8pm to 6am.
Work will start on the westbound carriageway, and transfer to the eastbound carriageway towards the end of September. During the work the A14 between Junction 33 (Milton) and Junction 36 (Six Mile Bottom) will be closed overnight in one direction at a time, depending on the location of the works. During the westbound closures, long distance traffic heading west will be diverted off the A14 at Junction 36, down the A11 to Great Abington, then onto the A505 to the M11 Junction 10 and back up the M11 to rejoin the A14 at Junction 31 at Girton. The work is expected to be completed by mid October.
A14 HAUGHLEY EASTBOUND CARRIAGEWAY RENEWAL WORK
A £200,000 scheme to replace the seals between the concrete road slabs on the eastbound carriageway of the A14 between Junctions 47a (Warren Lane) and Junction 49 (Tot Hill Interchange) will begin on Tuesday 8 September. The work will be carried out nightly off peak between 8pm and 6am for up to 15 nights. No work will take place during peak hours and no traffic management will be in place. While the work is being carried out the eastbound carriageway will be closed overnight with a clearly signed diversion route from the Warren Street exit through Tot Hill to the Tot Hill Interchange where traffic will rejoin the A14 eastbound. A 50 mph speed restriction will be in place on the approach to the works.
A14 ORWELL BRIDGE REPAIRS
A scheme to improve safety by repairing the drainage on the carriageway and carry out bridge maintenance work is set to take place overnight only between Wednesday 9 and Saturday 12 September. The work involves replacing the sub-surface drain and resurfacing the westbound carriageway at the western end of the Orwell Bridge. In addition maintenance work to ensure the longevity of the bridge structure will be carried out simultaneously. While the work is taking place, between 8pm and 6am, the westbound carriageway will be closed between Junction 58 Levington Interchange and Junction 56 Wherstead Interchange. Westbound traffic will be diverted from Junction 58 along the A1156 towards Ipswich, onto the A1189 Heath Road, then along the A1214 to rejoin the A14 at Junction 55 Copdock Mill Interchange. There will be some lane closures on the eastbound carriageway between Junction 56 Wherstead Interchange and Junction 57 Nacton Interchange. As the work is being carried out overnight delays are expected to be minimal.
A5 MILTON KEYNES MAINTENANCE AND RESURFACING WORK
Essential maintenance work will be carried out on the A5 at Milton Keynes from Monday 7 September. The work will take place along a 12 mile stretch between the A508 Old Stratford roundabout and Little Brickhill and is expected to be completed by mid November. The first part of the scheme involves replacing traffic signs and lighting columns, upgrading the safety barrier, relocating marker posts and replacing the central reserve drainage filter material. From Monday 7 September to Saturday 17 October, there will be northbound lane closures between Little Brickhill and the A508 Old Stratford roundabout from 7pm Monday through to 3pm Tuesday and at the same time for the following weekdays, except on Friday when the closure will be from 7pm until 2pm Saturday. From Tuesday 6 October until Saturday 31 October there will be southbound lane closures from 10am Monday through to 7am Tuesday and at the same time on the following days until 7am Saturday. Resurfacing work from the A508 Old Stratford roundabout to the Portway Roundabout will begin on Thursday 1 October.
A5 HOCKLIFFE SAFETY SAFETY SCHEME
A scheme to improve visibility by providing red surfacing on the southbound approach to Tebworth turn will begin on Monday 7 September. The work will be carried out from Monday to Thursday between 10am and 3.30pm and on Friday between 10am and 2pm and is due to be completed by Monday 14 September. There will be some lane closures in place with 3-way traffic signals.
A47 NORWICH BRIDGE REPAIRS
Overnight repairs to four bridges crossing over the A47 to the southwest of Norwich will begin on Monday 7 September. The work involves replacing expansion joints at both bridges of the A47/A11 Thickthorn Interchange and both bridges of the A47/A140 Interchange, as well as replacing the expansion joints on the bridge carrying the A47 over the B1113, just west of the A140. The work will be carried out overnight between 8pm and 6am and is due for completion on Saturday 19 September. The A47 will be closed on top of both the Thickthorn and A140 interchanges, with traffic diverted down and around the junctions before rejoining the trunk road.
REMINDER: A421 (BEDFORD)-M1 J13 – OVERNIGHT CLOSURES TO INSTALL BRIDGE BEAMS OVER THE A421 AT FIELDS ROAD
The project to improve safety and cut congestion on the A421 moved a step forward on Wednesday 2 September when work to place the beams on the two new bridges at Fields Road, Wootton, started. When complete the bridges will carry Fields Road over both the A421 and the new dual carriageway.
The A421 will be closed overnight in both directions to allow construction of the bridges from Wednesday 2 September until Friday 11 September, between 9pm and 5am. A clearly signed diversion route via the A6/A507 will be in place during the closures:
· Eastbound traffic will leave the A421 northwest of M1 J13, turn right onto the A507 to Clophill, left onto the A6 and rejoin the A421 at the junction southwest of Bedford
· Westbound traffic will leave the A421 at the Bedford A6 junction, follow the route south to Clophill, then take the A507 towards Ridgmont and rejoin the A421 at J13 of the M1.
M11 JUNCTION 12 CARRIAGEWAY RESURFACING
The southbound carriageway of the M11 will be closed overnight at Junction 12 on Monday 7 September in order to complete essential resurfacing work. The closure will be in place for a distance of 0.8km between the exit slip road and the entry slip road at Junction 12 while the work is being carried out from 9pm until 6am. Southbound traffic will be diverted off the M11 at the Junction 12 exit slip road, onto Grantchester Road towards the A603 roundabout, then back onto the M11 via the A603.
ONGOING WORK
A1 EATON SOCON BYPASS RESURFACING WORK
Major roadworks on the Eaton Socon Bypass began on Friday 4 September. The work involves repairing and resurfacing a 3-mile stretch of the A1 from the A428 Wyboston Junction to Hail Bridge, just north of the B645 junction at Hail Weston. The work is taking place in two phases, with the first phase on the southbound carriageway until mid November. Work on the northbound carriageway will be carried out from mid November and is due to be completed, weather permitting, before Christmas. Work will take place every night and during the day at weekends as follows:
Monday to Thursday nights: 10pm – 6am
Friday 9pm through to Sunday 12 noon
Sunday 12 midnight – Monday 6am.
Southbound traffic will be diverted off the A1 onto the A14 eastbound to Godmanchester and from there down the A1198 to Caxton Gibbet, then back on the A428 to the A1 at Wyboston.
M1 MILTON KEYNES – OVERBRIDGE PARAPET REPLACEMENT
A £2m scheme to improve safety on three overbridges on the M1 between Junctions 14 and 15 near Milton Keynes started on Monday 6 July. The scheme involves replacing the reinforced concrete parapets with metal railed parapets on Tongwell Lane Bridge, Green Farm Bridge and Newport Pagnell Farm Access, all of which carry public footpaths. Work is being carried out on the overbridges between 7.30 am and 4.30pm Mondays to Fridays with overnight working on the motorway carriageway as follows: 11pm – 5am, Mon- Thurs; 11pm – 6am, Fridays; 10pm – 6am Saturdays; midnight – 5am, Sundays. While the overnight working is being carried out on the motorway there will be lane closures in both directions, mainly during the first 5 weeks of work, until mid August. Both Tongwell Lane and Green Farm bridges will be partly closed with public access maintained. The Newport Pagnell Farm Access bridge will be fully closed with a pedestrian diversion in place. The work is expected to be completed by December 15.
M1 J10 TO J13 BEDFORDSHIRE – ADVANCE WORK ON HARD SHOULDER RUNNING SCHEME
Advance work on the hard shoulder running scheme to reduce congestion and improve safety on a 15 mile stretch of the M1 in Bedfordshire began on Tuesday 4 August.
The work will strengthen and upgrade the existing hard shoulders so they can be opened up to heavy traffic as additional lanes when hard shoulder running is operational on the M1 in early 2013. This work will also include site clearance and earthworks.
To limit any delays to road users, three lanes will be kept open to traffic in both directions during peak time hours between Junction 9, south of Luton, and Junction 14 (Milton Keynes). A 50 mph speed restriction will be in place throughout the work for the safety of road users and road workers.
Drivers using the stretch of the M1 between Junction 10 (Luton) and Junction 13 (Bedford) will experience some overnight lane closures on both the northbound and southbound carriageways. The Highways Agency will also be carrying out some essential resurfacing work, in order to reduce the need for further lane closures in the future.
The main construction work is due to start in the autumn. As part of the scheme, the Highways Agency will also upgrade Junctions 11 (Dunstable) and 12 (Toddington).
A1(M) HERTFORDSHIRE JUNCTION 6 BRIDGE REPAIRS
A scheme to carry out repairs to the underbridges at Welwyn Road Roundabout and Clock Roundabout began on Monday 17 August. The work is being carried out overnight between 8pm and 6am Mondays to Thursdays and from 8pm on Friday nights through to 6am on Monday mornings. There will be no daytime working during weekdays. There will be lane closures on the Great North Road (B197) and Hertford Road (A1000) but the A1(M) will not be affected. The work is expected to be completed by 7 October.
A14 CLAYDON INTERCHANGE, IPSWICH, BRIDGE REPAIRS AND RESURFACING WORK
Work to the westbound carriageway near the A14 Claydon Interchange, began on Tuesday 1 September. The work involves bridge repairs, drainage, waterproofing and resurfacing of the carriageway and will be carried out overnight between Monday and Sunday from 8pm until 6am. There will also be daytime working between 6am and 8pm on three successive Sundays from 6 September. During overnight working the westbound carriageway will be closed between the Claydon Interchange and the Whitehouse Interchange (A1156 Bury Road) with traffic diverted off the exit slip road, around the roundabout, and back on via the entry slip road. While the Sunday daytime work is being carried out one lane of the A14 westbound will be closed between the Claydon and Whitehouse interchanges. The work is due for completion, weather permitting, by the end of September.
A120 BRADWELL PEDESTRIAN CROSSING
A signalised Puffin crossing is to be installed on the A120 at Bradwell, near Braintree in Essex, with work starting on Monday 24 August.
The work will be carried out overnight, from 8pm to 6am Monday to Friday, until the beginning of October. A 10 mph convoy controlled by temporary traffic lights will be in operation during working hours.
The Puffin crossing will improve pedestrian access across the A120 (Coggeshall Road) near to the junctions with The Street and Riverside.
A47 CARRIAGEWAY RESURFACING, KING’S LYNN
Resurfacing work on a short section of the A47 near King’s Lynn began overnight from Tuesday 1 September for 10 nights.
The work involves resurfacing both sides of the single carriageway at its junction with Eau Brink Road, midway between the Pullover and Tilney roundabouts, west of King’s Lynn. Work will take place from 8pm to 6am each night.
Temporary traffic lights controlling a 10 mph convoy will be in operation for approximately 1.7 miles (2.75 km) of the road. A 40 mph speed restriction will be in place on the approaches to the work.
Eau Brink Road will remain open for local access at all times but both local lay-bys will be closed 24-hours-a-day for the duration of the works.
A47 PETERBOROUGH LONGTHORPE INTERCHANGE BRIDGE REPAIRS
Work to replace the bridge parapets and safety fences on the Longthorpe Interchange started on Monday 17 August. The work is being undertaken 24 hours a day between Monday 17 and Friday 28 August and between Monday 7 September and Friday 18 September until the work is completed on Friday 18 September. No work will be carried out between Friday 28 August and Monday 7 September. Work will be carried out on the westbound carriageway between Monday 17 August and Thursday 27 August with lane closures. Work will then be carried out on the eastbound carriageway between Monday 7 September and Friday 18 September with lane closures. Delays are expected and drivers are asked to allow extra time for their journeys.
A421 (BEDFORD)-M1 J13
Major construction work to build the new eight mile dual carriageway on the northwest side of the existing A421 between M1 J13 and the Bedford Southern Bypass got underway on Thursday 19 February. Motorists are being warned to expect some disruption to their journeys until the improvements are completed in December 2010.
A421 eastbound dual carriageway: Currently closed from Beancroft Road, Marston Moretaine with a contraflow in place on the westbound carriageway. There is no right turn into or out of the eastbound contraflow section at its junction with Bedford Road (C280) at Marston Moretaine. The southern end of Lower Shelton Road is currently closed to traffic joining or leaving the A421 until autumn 2009 with a clearly signed diversion route in place.
M1 J13 Bridge Construction: Overnight slip road closures are currently in place to allow for the construction of a new bridge over the M1 and a new roundabout on the A421 at Junction 13. Closure times as follows:
11pm – 5am, Monday –Thursday; 11pm – 7 am, Friday; 9pm – 9am, Saturday;
10pm – 5am, Sunday.
These overnight slip road closures will be in place until the scheme is completed in December 2010, although no more than two slip roads will be closed on any one night. Advance warning signs will be displayed warning drivers of planned closures and diversion routes will be clearly signposted. A temporary 50mph speed restriction will be in place on the M1. Lane closures will be in operation but generally three lanes will be in use as the hard shoulder is being used as an additional lane. Approximately 1.25 miles (2km) of the M1 either side of J13 will be affected and these restrictions will apply 24 hours a day until the scheme is completed.
Partial closure of A421/B530 Roundabout (known locally as the Interchange Retail Park roundabout): Partially closed from Tuesday 24 March with no right turns to or from the westbound carriageway of the A421. Diversion routes will be clearly signed.
Work to upgrade A6 Roundabouts: Work to convert three roundabouts on the A6 into traffic light controlled junctions will be taking place on the Progress Park roundabout, the Cowbridge roundabout and the Elstow roundabout until autumn 2009. Lane restrictions and a temporary 30 mph speed limit will be in place to ensure the safety of the workforce.
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