East of England roadworks update: Monday 14 December – Sunday 20 December 2009
NEW WORK
A1(M) LETCHWORTH ROAD BRIDGE
A £1m scheme to re-lay four miles of the northbound and southbound carriageways of the A1(M) Letchworth Road Bridge (between Junctions 9 and 10) will begin on Monday 14 December, and is expected to be completed by Thursday 17 December. The work will involve closing the northbound carriageway between 10 pm and 5 am on Monday 14 December and Wednesday 16 December, and the southbound carriageway between the same hours on Tuesday 15 December and Thursday 17 December. The diversion for all vehicles except HGVs over 15 feet in height is via Junction 10, A507 southbound to Baldock, A505 westbound to the A6141 southbound to Junction 9, and vise versa. For HGVs over 15 feet in height the diversion route is Junction 10 A507 westbound, A600 southbound and the A602 eastbound to Junction 8.
A14 BEYTON TO WOOLPIT, SUFFOLK AND WHERSTEAD TO TRIMLEY ST MARTIN, SUFFOLK
Work will start on Thursday 17 December to upgrade road markings and signage and install hazard marker posts on the A14 between Junctions 46 and 47, near Bury St Edmunds, and between Junctions 56 and 59, near Ipswich. The work will be carried out overnight between 8pm and 6am and will involve lane closures on both eastbound and westbound carriageways. The westbound carriageway will be fully closed overnight for a distance of 600m between Junction 47 and The Street entry slip road in the New Year. There will be a clearly signed diversion route.
ONGOING WORK
M1 JUNCTIONS 10 TO 10A SPUR LUTON – REPAIRS TO NEWLANDS ROAD BRIDGE
Work to renovate the bridge over Newlands Road on the M1 spur near Luton, began on Thursday 17 September. The work involves replacing the bridge parapets and carrying out drainage and resurfacing work. While the work is being carried out two lanes will remain open in both directions during peak hours until the work is completed in spring 2010. There will be lane closures during offpeak hours and a 40 mph speed limit will be in force throughout the works. There will also be overnight closures of Newlands Road between Slip End village and the A1081 London Road on occasion during the winter months. Drivers using the M1 spur, particularly those travelling to Luton Airport, should allow extra time for their journeys.
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. Both Tongwell Lane and Green Farm bridges will be partly closed with public access maintained. Work on the Newport Pagnell Farm Access bridge is now complete and the bridge is fully open. The work is expected to be completed by December 18.
M11 JUNCTION 8 - 9 MAJOR MAINTENANCE SCHEME
A £10m scheme to improve safety on the M11 between Junction 8 (Stansted Airport) and Junction 9 started on Monday 9 November. The work involves replacing nearly five miles of concrete carriageway to provide a smoother low-noise surface, which will also reduce surface water spray. The existing central reservation barrier will be replaced and improvements carried out on the safety fencing and to the drainage system. From Monday 9 November work is being carried out on the southbound carriageway only, switching to the northbound carriageway in January. The work is expected to be completed by March 2010. During the day two lanes will be kept open in each direction, with contraflow running and a 50 mph speed restriction in place. Overnight work will take place on week nights between 9pm and 6am, and on Friday and Saturday nights between 9pm and 8am. The carriageway will be reduced to one lane only on some nights. While the work is taking place wide vehicles, those with a width greater than 3m, will not be able to use the M11; there will be a clearly signed diversion route in place via the A120, A10 and A505.
M1 J10 TO J13 BEDFORDSHIRE – ADVANCE WORKS FOR HARD SHOULDER RUNNING SCHEME
Routine maintenance to reduce congestion and improve safety on a 15 mile stretch of the M1 in Bedfordshire began on Tuesday 4 August and has now been completed. The work strengthens and upgrades 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.
On Wednesday 12 October work began to clear the vegetation from the embankment of both the southbound and northbound carriageways on the M1 near Luton to allow access to parts of the embankment so that routine maintenance can take place in the new year. Work is continuing weekdays between 8 am to 6 pm for another month and is due to finish by the end of the year. . When this section is complete work will transfer to the remainder of the motorway between Junctions 11 and 13. An ecological survey has been undertaken to ensure that only that vegetation which impacts on the hard shoulder running scheme is removed. The work has been planned to take place outside of the bird nesting season. Some sections of the hard shoulder will be closed to facilitate the work. No other impact on traffic is expected.
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.
As part of the scheme, the Highways Agency will also upgrade Junctions 11 (Dunstable) and 12 (Toddington).
A1 – ASTWICK SERVICE STATION STOTFOLD
Work to provide new exit and entry slip roads to the BP Astwick Service Station, a mile past Junction 10 on the northbound A1 began on 2 December and is due to be completed by 14 December. During that period, Lane 1 of the road will be closed between 8 pm and 6am, with a 50mph speed limit in operation. There will be two full overnight closures of the northbound carriageway between 8 pm and 6 am on 9 December and 10 December to allow for resurfacing works. During the full lane closure periods, diversions will operate from Junction 10 on the A1(M), westbound on the A507 to the A6001 and northbound on the A6001 rejoining the A1 at Biggleswade.
A1 EATON SOCON BYPASS RESURFACING WORK
Work on the northbound carriageway of the A1 Eaton Socon bypass started on Monday 9 November following completion of the resurfacing on the southbound carriageway. 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. It 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: 8pm – 6am
Friday 9pm through to Monday 6am.
Northbound traffic will be diverted off the A1 at Wyboston onto the A428 to the B1040 and the A1198 to join the A14 at Godmanchester. Westbound A14 traffic will then stay on the A14, with northbound traffic rejoining the A1 at Alconbury.
A14 JUNCTION 26-29 – PARK AND RIDE SIGNS
Work to erect new park and ride signs on the A14 eastbound approaches between Junction 26 and Junction 29 (Galley Hill and Bar Hill) started Monday, 30 November for the new Guided Busway Scheme to Cambridge. Hours of work are between 9 pm and 5 am Monday to Thursday, and 10 pm to 6 am on Friday. It is expected to last seven nights and will mean the closure of Lane 1 eastbound during the period of work.
A14 – CAMBRIDGESHIRE – RESURFACING
Resurfacing patches of the eastbound carriageway of the A14 between Girton and Milton began on Tuesday 8 December and is due for completion on 17 December. It involves the full closure of the eastbound carriageway and entry slip road closure at Junction 32 (Histon) between 8 pm and 6 am Tuesday to Thursday, 8 pm to 7 am Friday to Saturday morning and 9 pm to 6 am Saturday to Sunday morning. During those periods, eastbound traffic will be diverted on to the M11 southbound to Junction 10 (Duxford) to access the A505 eastbound on to the A11 northbound at the Abington junction to rejoin the A14 at Junction 36 (Six Mile Bottom). Traffic wishing to join the A14 eastbound from the A428 will be diverted on to the A1303 at Madingley, to join the M11 at Junction 13 and then follow the diversion route as above.
Work to repair the embankment on the A14 at Junction 32, which started on 29September and will continue during this period.
A12 INGATESTONE, ESSEX – ESSENTIAL BRIDGE MAINTENANCE
Maintenance work to the Trueloves Bridge at Junction 13 Ingatestone bypass began on Monday 23 November. The work involves the bridge, which carries the B1002 over the A12 being supported temporarily while concrete repairs are carried out to the bridge piers and bearings replaced. The work will be carried out 24 hours a day, with the southbound carriageway reduced from three lanes to two. A 50mph speed restriction enforced by safety cameras, will be in place throughout the duration of the work. At various times, there will only be one lane open in each direction between 9 pm and 5.30 am. In addition, the B1002 over the A12 will occasionally be closed overnight with a clearly signed diversion route in place. The work is due to be completed by the end of March 2010.
A12 HATFIELD PEVEREL TO WITHAM IMPROVEMENT SCHEME
A £6.8m scheme to improve safety and tackle congestion on the A12 between Hatfield Peverel and Witham South began on Tuesday 3 November. The work will provide an additional lane southbound between the two junctions, which will assist drivers joining and leaving the A12 at these junctions. In addition the existing carriageway are being resurfaced, additional street lighting and road signs being installed and maintenance work to Woodend Bridge is also being carried out. Two lanes will be maintained in each direction throughout the day, with overnight lane closures between 8pm and 5am on weekdays, extended to 8 am on Saturday and Sunday mornings. A 50mph speed limit is in place. There will also be occasional overnight slip road closures with clearly signed diversion routes. The work is due to be completed by the end of March 2010.
A14 JUNCTIONS 36 TO 45, SUFFOLK – A14 CORRIDOR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT SCHEME
A safety scheme to install fibre optic cables providing drivers on the A14 with real-time traffic information via electronic overhead signs, has now reached the second phase, following work in Northamptonshire. Work is being carried out in Suffolk between A14 Junction 36 (west of Newmarket) through to Junction 45 (Bury St Edmunds) with overnight infrastructure work; laying cables and installing platforms on the verges. The work is being carried out overnight with some lane closures from 10pm until 6am. A temporary 50mph speed limit is in force for the safety of the workforce and road users. The expected completion time for this phase of works is Summer 2010.
A14 CAMBS/SUFFOLK BORDER MAINTENANCE WORK
Work to improve safety on the A14 westbound between Junction 40 (Higham interchange) and Junction 39 (Kentford interchange) began on Monday 9 November. The work involves renewing and replacing the drainage gullies on the westbound carriageway and is being carried out overnight between 8pm and 6am until the end of November. While the work is taking place lane one of the westbound carriageway will be closed between Higham and Kentford interchanges, with one lane entry onto the westbound on sliproad at Higham interchange. It is expected to carry on until 16 December.
A14 FEN DITTON TO NEWMARKET SIGNAGE REPLACEMENT
A scheme to replace damaged and missing signs on the A14 between Junction 34 (Fen Ditton) and Junction 37 (Newmarket) started on Monday 2 November. The work will be carried out overnight from Mondays to Thursdays between 8pm and 6am and between 9pm and 6am on Friday nights. It is due for completion before Christmas. Lane 1 of both carriageways will be closed at various locations while the work is being carried out to protect drivers and the workforce.
A47 KING’S LYNN – £1.2M SCHEME TO IMPROVE SAFETY
A scheme to improve safety on a section of the A47 east of King’s Lynn in Norfolk started on Monday, 16 November and involves a 1.9 mile (3km) section of carriageway between East Winch and West Bilney being resurfaced and highway drainage upgraded. Alterations are being made to two lay-bys, and there will be improvements for non-motorised road users. The works are being carried out at night to minimize disruption to traffic. The A47 between East Winch and Pentney is closed to through traffic between 8 pm and 6 am for up to 32 nights, except Sundays. During the closure period eastbound through traffic is required to follow a signed diversion from the A47/A10/A149 Hardwick Interchange at King’s Lynn via the A10, A134 and A1122, rejoining the A47 at the A47/A122 roundabout at Swaffham. Similarly, westbound through traffic is being diverted from the A47 at the A47/A1122 roundabout at Swaffham, via the A1122 and A10 to rejoin the A47 at the Hardwick Interchange. During the closure period local traffic wishing to gain access to villages located between the Hardwick Interchange and East Winch, and between Swaffham and Pentney will still be permitted to use the A47. The work is due to be completed by December 23.
A47 PETERBOROUGH – £1.8M BRIDGE REFURBISHMENT SCHEME
Major maintenance work to two bridges on the Bretton Interchange on Soke Parkway, Peterborough, started on Sunday 15 November and continues until March 2010. The work involves repairs to the bridge piers, replacement of bridge joints, realignment of safety barriers, and installation of a new drainage system. Lane closures are in place 24 hours a day on the A47 at junction 16 during the work, with two full overnight closures expected to be in January. During the closure drivers will be sent along a clearly signed short diversion route up and over the Bretton Interchange. A 50mph speed limit is in place. The inside lane of the Bretton Interchange roundabout remains closed to enable new kerbstones to be laid and drainage cleaned. The A47 northbound and southbound exit slip roads leading to the roundabout will retain one lane open to traffic on their approach. These lane closures will remain in place 24 hours a day for three weeks, until the work has been completed. Drivers are advised to plan ahead and 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 continues. Motorists are being warned to expect some disruption to their journeys until the improvements are completed in December 2010.
There is no right turn into or out of the Bedford Road (C280) at Marston Moretaine. The southern end of Lower Shelton Road is currently closed to traffic joining or leaving the A421 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:
9pm – 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 the A6 roundabouts is complete. The traffic signals at Progress Park, Elstow Junction and Cowbridge Junction are now in operation. The signals at all three junctions will continue to be monitored and adjusted to ensure smooth running of the junctions which may take some time. Drivers, particularly HGV drivers, are asked to be aware of the changes and to take extra care.
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