Welcome to your Penny Pot Roadworks Newsletter Please let me start by apologising for the disruption you have experienced this week, our first week on site. I know that many of you are completely frustrated with the long delays you have experienced using your local road network. This newsletter aims to inform you about our progress and how we are looking to reduce congestion as soon as possible.
We are working hard to remove the 4 way signals to Jubilee Roundabout is soon as possible. We recognise that the 4 way signals have caused long delays in the area. In the design of our traffic management we have to take into consideration keeping traffic safely flowing, maintaining a safe pedestrian route and also keeping out workforce safe.
Because the tie-in point of our realigned footpath is extremely close to the roundabout and also the fact that there is only one footpath on Penny Pot Lane we had to close the Penny Pot Lane exit off the roundabout in order to safely carry out our works whilst maintaining pedestrian access down Penny Pot Lane.
We are focusing on completing this tie in as quickly as possible so we can remove the 4 way signals from the roundabout. The 4 way signals will be removed on Wednesday 12th February, if not the day before. We are aware there is an event at the Army College on Thursday 13th that will generate additional traffic.
The 4 way signals will be replaced with 2 way signals, but just across the Persimmon site entrance, not on the roundabout, which will be a huge improvement.
We have received many comments regarding the timing of the signals at the roundabout.
Our signal operatives have been instructed to pay close attention to the length of the queues building up at each approach. They are letting the longest queue (often extending beyond what can be seen at the roundabout) have priority and therefore the greatest 'green' period. This has meant if you are travelling in the opposite direction, you are sitting there for a while and it may seem only 5 cars at a time are being let through. The priority direction changes between morning rush hour and evening rush hour but regardless our priority is to make sure Oaker Bank between the two roundabouts does not become gridlocked.
The Penny Pot Lane closure is required in order to carry out a challenging surface water pipe connection. The road is narrow and on an extremely tight bend. We have to excavate a trench diagonally across the road and across the grass verge on the corner. The verge contains all the services to the local residential estate and beyond, along Penny Pot Lane. Gas, water mains, electricity cables, BT cables and surface water sewers are all present.
We were let down by a delivery of fencing on the first day. Some public vehicles chose to move the cones and drive through the closure.
After stripping topsoil from the verge we commenced excavating for services and found a buried Yorkshire Water valve chamber right in the way of our works. In order to find an alternative safe way for the drainage pipe through the services within the verge we arranged for an external hire 'Vac Ex' machine to attend site. The 'Vac Ex' is a large vehicle with a powerful suction function to literally suck earth from around the services with out fear of damage. However they are not readily available and we had to waiting for the Vac Ex machine to attend site after it had completed other booked in work. The gang was deployed in other duties whilst we waited for the Vac Ex to attend. We are also waiting for Yorkshire Water to come to site to advise us if the equipment on the line of the new pipe is live or abandoned.
Unfortunately these works were never going to be straight forward which is why we booked a 3 week closure for what would normally take a lot less time.
We are unable to spontaneously open and close the road once the closure is in place.
Please be assured that pedestrians and cycle access through this area will remain open at all times.
If you have queries regarding these works please email Penny.pot@howardcivileng.co.uk We aim to respond to all initial queries within 24hr during the working week.
To receive our regular newsletter, keeping you up to date with the progress of the works as well as advance warning of activities that may affect traffic, you can join our mailing list. Please fill in your details below and tick the 'Add me to your mailing list' box.