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www.bradleystokejournal.co.uk
t: 01454 300 400
December 2016
News MetroBus: Full reopening of Woodlands Lane junction delayed AGAIN until New Year By Jim Aitken, community liaison officer at Alun Griffiths Ltd
North section of BSW
Work continues to progress on the verge approaching the Aztec West Roundabout to construct the new dedicated bus lane from Bradley Stoke Way (BSW) onto the A38. The commencement of this work has been delayed due to uncharted utilities. The main utilities are now diverted and just minor utility works remain, however Griffiths are able to work around these to progress towards completion of the tie-in on Bradley Stoke Way before Christmas. The completion of this tie-in will facilitate the removal of the current full-time lane closure on the approach to the Aztec West Roundabout. Following our Christmas shutdown (23rd December to 3rd January), we shall be focussing attention on completing the tie-in of the bus lane to the A38 and construction of the bus stop on the A38. These works cannot be completed until the works on BSW are completed due to phasing constraints.
Completion of the BSW tie-in will also enable the reopening of additional peak-time lane capacity between Orchard Gate and Aztec West to further reduce the impact on traffic. The current lane restrictions are required to ensure a safe working area for our workforce and also a safe footway for pedestrians passing the works. Additionally, after the Christmas break, we shall be undertaking the final surfacing works between the two roundabouts that are currently only surfaced in a temporary state. This extensive operation, now planned to take place in early February, will require the removal of the top 40mm of surfacing and the placement of a new surface course. This operation will also enable us to regulate areas of poor surfacing to ensure a smooth surface finish. Additionally, in January, we shall complete finishing works such as landscaping, traffic signs and signal installation that will
The new bus filter lane between Bradley Stoke Way and the A38 takes shape
require periodic lane closures within the area between the two roundabouts. We shall, as promised, alert the local community of the final surfacing operations as they will require night time work.
Woodlands Lane junction
Griffiths will have completed all the required civils work by mid-January to facilitate the installation of traffic signals. The remaining civils works require the installation of traffic islands in the centre of the carriageway which, due to traffic flow restrictions, cannot be completed until the tie-in works on the bus slip lane onto the A38 are finished, which themselves have been delayed due to utility
works (see above). The net result is that the Woodlands Lane junction will now not fully reopen until after the Christmas break. The signalisation works will be undertaken by South Gloucestershire Council’s (SGC’s) Traffic Signals Team and we are currently awaiting confirmation of an installation date from them to enable us to programme these works. Once received, we shall update the Journal. Until these signals are installed and commissioned by SGC, the junction will not be able to operate with all traffic movements.
Pedestrian issues
We are currently on programme to be in a position where we can reopen the short section of footway on BSW opposite the Woodlands Lane junction in mid-December. Unfortunately, additional Virgin Media works in this immediate area have prevented an earlier reopening. The footway on the westbound side of BSW, which is currently closed from Patchway Brook Roundabout, is programmed to reopen as far as Woodlands Lane at the same time. Crossings at Woodlands Lane and Orchard Gate are dependent on traffic signal functionality and will be reopened at the same time as the signalised junctions themselves. The zebra crossing at Patchway Brook Roundabout, which has two lanes on each approach, has been reduced to one for pedestrian safety reasons and traffic is filtered into a single lane on approach to each. This is causing some further traffic
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