Traffic interchanges on the A1260 Nene Parkway in Peterborough
will be closed and traffic will be reduced to one-lane on sections
of the road whilst essential bridge maintenance work is carried out
between Wednesday 1 September 2010 and the end of April 2011.
The top section of the bridge piers will be
reconstructed, to enable bearing replacement, at junction 31 the
Orton interchange, which leads to Malborne Way and Morley Way, and
junction 33 Thorpe interchange, which leads to Longthorpe Parkway
and Thorpe Wood. The bridge piers also need extensive concrete
repairs due to deterioration caused by chlorides in water washed
from the decks, leaving the concrete weak and in a poor
condition.
Smaller scale concrete repair works will also
be taking place on Oundle Road bridge, Orton subway and Fletton
underpass. Orton subway will be kept open to pedestrian traffic
during the works.
While the work is taking place, traffic using
the A1260 Nene Parkway will be reduced to one lane in each
direction under the interchange bridges. The other lane will be
diverted up and down the slip roads at junctions 31 and 33. The
Orton interchange circulatory will be closed from Tuesday 28
September 2010 to December 2010. Traffic wishing to cross the
interchange will be diverted to the next roundabout and back along
the A1260. Work will begin on the Thorpe interchange in
January.
To ensure the safety of the workforce there
will be a 40mph speed limit on Nene Parkway from junction 3 of
Fletton Parkway to junction 32 of Nene Parkway from Wednesday 1
September 2010 until 14 January 2011. There will be a further 40mph
speed limit between junction 32 of Nene Parkway and junction 15 of
Soke Parkway from Monday 1 November 2010 to 30 April 2011.
A number of overnight full road closures from
8pm to 6am will also be necessary during the programme. The
southbound carriageway of Nene Parkway between Orton East
interchange and Thorpe Wood interchange will be closed on Wednesday
1 and Thursday 2 September 2010 and the northbound carriageway will
be closed on Friday 3 and Monday 6 September 2010.
Workmen will be on site seven days a week to
reduce the length of the programme where practicable. The project
is expected to be completed by the end of April 2011.
Councillor Peter Hiller, cabinet member for
housing, neighbourhoods and planning, said: “The city's parkway
system was built in the 1970s and as a result all the bridges have
required maintenance at a similar time. Extensive works have been
carried out on the other parkway bridges and the Nene parkway
project is the last part of this major refurbishment programme.
"Over the last 40 years Peterborough has grown
hugely and we need to make sure that our road networks are designed
to complement this growth, keeping traffic flowing.
"The work to replace the bridge piers is
absolutely essential. If allowed to continue to deteriorate the
bridge would become unsafe and lane restrictions on the bridge
would be enforced permanently.
“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by
these works and advise drivers to avoid this area during commuting
hours if they can, to help reduce congestion.”
For more information, go to http://www.peterborough.gov.uk