An Open and Closed Story

Tomorrow at 10 am on 29th September 2014 we are told that the first stretch of the new link road will open for traffic. This is to allow the contractors to close the Sidley Bridge in order to rebuild it. At present the Sidley Bridge is not high enough for lorries to drive underneath.
So what, in the 'short term' will this mean for the residents of Bexhill and especially Sidley?
This is the map of the diversion provided by ESCC.

Apparently northbound traffic from the A259 will use the new link road.

 Traffic southbound will leave the link road and join London Road before the Viking junction.

 

 

Traffic lights and arrays of orange cones are waiting to entertain us.

 

 

There is no turning the clock back. The work now has to be done, but if you live near Buxton Drive, Gunters Lane or Woodsgate Park, then expect an inevitable increase in traffic. Buses will now be diverted down Buxton Drive and along the new Woodsgate Bridge with bus stops at either end of Buxton Drive. Best remember to shut your curtains at night unless you want to be seen from the upper deck of a double decker.

 

Our local school children have made signs reminding drivers to stay safe.

 

 

I hope the drivers take notice.

 

 In the meantime, please be aware of at least two locations close to the new road where pedestrians are especially vulnerable.  It is particularly difficult for drivers to see walkers as they approach the zebra crossing from the new underpass.

 

And don't be fooled into thinking you can safely cross the A259 by the Leisure Centre. The crossing is barricaded by see through fencing.

 

Stay safe, be alert, and enjoy the chaos for I fear a 'Winter of Discontent' is rapidly approaching. 

The Tarmac Cometh

On 4th August 2014, the Woodsgate Park Bridge finally opened to cars. I stood and watched as the road sweeper gave the road surface a final clean. The barriers were removed, and a man in fluorescent jacket picked up the 'Road Closed' sign and threw it in the back of his truck. By 10.00 am the cars began to drive over the road. The occasion was largely unremarkable. One resident appeared with a small union jack, and his friend took a photo of him. I walked along the pavement of the now open bridge and recorded my 'Open Bridge' poem. If you haven't heard it, the link is here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4_-Bz0-IOg 

No one really seems to know why the outside walls are still behind barriers. The coping stones remain unfinished, and rumours abound about the safety aspects of the height of the wall. I seriously wonder if the Council even know yet what they are going to do.
A lot of local cars have yet to realise that the bridge is open. They drive south down Buxton Road and forget to look left......not good!
Meanwhile there is a stripe of tarmac on the new link road which is heading towards Sidley.

 It contained 2 portable bridges which are slowly moving North. One is now in Crowhurst, and the other is still visible towards Sidley.

As a resident of the Woodsgate Park area, I would like to wish good luck to Sidley with the next phase of bridge closures. I think you might need it!!

Combe Valley Way

Last week, just as the tarmac was creeping northwards towards Woodsgate Bridge, Rother Council announced the name of the new link road as COOMBE VALLEY WAY.

 

Local residents, who had been excited at their involvement in the choice of name, were shocked to find they had been over-ruled. This is an excerpt from the Bexhill Observer.  

 

 

The name Combe Valley Way, selected for the link road, was not the people’s choice.

Just 198 people voted for it compared with 902 who wanted Robert Wood Way, in honour of the popular 28-year-old Bexhill soldier who was killed in Afghanistan.

The exact number of votes of the others on the shortlist was Kings Way – 243, King Harold Way – 131, Pilot Davies Way – 349, and Viking Way - 364.

The public was invited to vote on these six names and then the final decision was made by Rother District councillors at the planning meeting held at Bexhill Town Hall last Thursday (July 17).

A Rother District Council spokesman said: “It was felt the name was fitting as the road crosses Combe Valley and runs alongside Combe Valley Countryside Park. Councillors also felt the road name suggested by the public would highlight the presence of the park to residents and visitors. We asked residents for their views and this was taken into account when the decision was made, along with planning factors such as the need for names to be distinct, easily understood and recognised should an accident require the road to be identified to the emergency services.

 

As much as I understand the council's logic, like most  residents I find myself wondering why the Council bothered to ask us!!!

 

Bridge End

Yesterday I walked over the new bridge.

The temporary walkway has been closed and they are sending pedestrians along the new road.

 

Pavement is in place to the south, and white lines have appeared in anticipation of traffic.

You can stand on the bridge and see the fire station and the A259.

 

 

With just a few coping stones and fencing to be finished, it feels like the bridge might be open for cars in a few more days.....or weeks.

 

 

I'd rather like an official opening ceremony......a local celebrity or politician with scissors, a ribbon and a brass band to mark the end of our daily walks to see the diggers and our daily diverted drive through the Downs. Will this happen? I very much doubt it. We will wake one morning to find that we can unexpectedly drive again directly to London Road. I will keep you posted.

 

 

 

At Last We Are Level

After months of digging and hammering and rebuilding the Woodsgate Park Bridge reached its final level this week. But before you dance with excitement, there is still a way to go.
This was the 'bridge' a few weeks ago......

 

Then this.....

 

And now it looks like this......

 

 

If you face East you can see right across the surface of the new bridge.

 

 

The supporting slopes look a bit precarious, and there is still a large overgrown valley of weeds next to Buxton Road. But we have a bridge

 

 

For those who take an interest in such matters, the line of this end of Woodsgate Park now appears to curve. Whether by chance or design we may never know.

 

 

 

The Long Journey

I've named this post The Long Journey because most of us feel that is what we are experiencing at the moment. A long journey anywhere around Bexhill.......and a very long journey from start to finish of the Link road. Will it be worth it?? We don't know for sure.....I remain hopeful......just.
So here is a reminder of the proposed London Road junction layout.

We can now clearly see the route of the new underpass. Note also that the southern end of London Road will be restricted to buses and vehicles needing access. Presumably this means that all cars from the North will need to access the A259 via the new Link Road.....and if that snarls up then they just might hurtle down Woodsgate Park!!! Traffic calming measures are promised for Woodsgate Park, but we have no details yet. Neither do we have any more information on bus routes or times.

In the meantime they are slowly making progress with the new bridge at Woodsgate Park.

And finally, if you haven't come across this, here is the link to my poem about driving towards Sidley. I hope you enjoy it. You might need to copy/paste it to your browser.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uo7qX-4Pb3c

Bridge Over Troubled Water

March 2014.....and we have some way to go.
For those who have forgotten, this was the sign that appeared before they closed the Woodsgate Park Bridge.

Well we have had the worst floods in recorded history, so perhaps we shouldn't be too hard on them!!
It is less easy to be sympathetic to the decision to put traffic lights in Sidley before the Woodsgate Bridge is open. If you live between the A259 and the Sidley bridge, as I do, it does feel as if we are under siege.
This is the sign which was put on the bridge during February. I'm pleased I managed to take a photo, because vandals removed it within hours.

Sorry I can't make it any clearer.

 

 

So let's look to the future....the present is worth avoiding!

The Woodsgate bridge has a top....it's just not yet joined at either side!

 

 

Things can only improve now......can't they?????