Chapel Lane bridleway is now open, which means that walkers and riders can head from Chapel Lane all the way to Bincombe Lane on this upgraded route.
Work is continuing on many other footpaths and bridleways for the scheme, and the blog will be kept updated with the progress of these.
Work on drainage and underground services is a big part of the relief road works.
The road width is currently reduced near the shopping centre end of Louviers Road in Littlemoor so that drainage can be installed at the side of Littlemoor Road.
It will take about two weeks to complete this section of drainage up to Littlemoor Bridge.
During the weekend of 4 and 5 September, temporary three-way traffic lights will be in place at the junction of Littlemoor Road and Louviers Road, near the library, so that service ducts can be put in under the road.
The finishing touches are being made to the completed sections of Ridgeway bridge. They include a dry stone wall effect, being carried out by a local company, that you can see as you drive over the Ridgeway Hill.
The Ridgeway bridge provides a safe crossing of the new road for cyclists, horse riders and walkers on the South West Coast Path, as well as safe access for local farmers to fields on either side of the road.
It also has a great view, as you can see in this photo.
The roundabouts in the Littlemoor area have now taken shape.
The aerial picture above shows how Littlemoor Road connects with the Littlemoor Road bridge and the new roundabout to give access to the relief road.
The roundabout to the bottom of the picture provides access to the new road from Littlemoor. The roundabout to the left of the picture connects to the Littlemoor Road bridge and provides access to Littlemoor Road from the relief road. (more…)
August is a key month for the project – final drainage is being put in, and we aim to have the tarmac in place from the Ridgeway to Littlemoor bridge by the end of the month.
We will have finished Chapel Lane bridge, Southdown Ridge bridge and Lorton Lane bridge (apart from the final planting of trees and shrubs, which will all start in early winter). We’ll also have finished all the work that can currently be done on the Ridgeway bridge.
Work is well underway on the remaining four roundabouts for the scheme, and the picture shows the smallest of these – the roundabout leading to the Park and Ride.
We’re also finishing major earth moving for the project. ‘Mount Lodmoor’, the large pile of earth you can see in this picture, is the final cover layer for Lodmoor landfill and the Park and Ride site.
Aerial photos of the scheme, taken in July, are now on our Flickr account.
In this one, you can see the progress of Ridgeway bridge and surfacing in Bincombe.
The first layers of tarmac for the Relief Road have been laid from the Ridgeway south towards Icen Lane – here you can see the section underneath Chapel Lane bridge heading north.
Chapel Lane bridge is also currently being surfaced, and there are only a couple of weeks of work remaining to put in kerbing and drainage before this bridleway can be reopened.
An extension of working hours has been granted for Thursday 22 July for the noise barriers to be installed on Manor railway bridge.
Due to the work taking place over the railway line, Network Rail has requested that the work takes place at night.
The work should not be noisy, as it only involves the lifting of panels into place, however, nearby residents may be able to see the lights.
This should be the last works that need a night time railway possession.
June was a good month for the project, with fine weather meaning the bulk earth moving for the project has been finished.
During July the earthworks will be ‘trimmed’ to get the final levels for embankments and roundabouts correct. The main areas for this are Ridgeway, the balancing ponds at Littlemoor and the southern part of the scheme by Manor Railway bridge, Two Mile Coppice and Lodmoor. (more…)
The Chapel Lane bridge may look rusty, but don’t panic as it’s weathering steel which is often used in bridge construction.
We’re using this material to build the bridge otherwise the steel would have to be painted and maintained, resulting in possible temporary lane closures.
So thanks to having a rusty bridge we don’t have to close the road!
