PROJECT MANAGER UPDATE
This Week
- Works along Broad Street have completed, including the new buildout, widened footway and new echelon parking bays.
- Works commenced along London Road, between southern extents of the scheme and Barclays (removal of slabs and kerbs)
- Phase 1 of Traffic Management introduced, road closures on London Road south of Church Street. Northbound traffic to use signed diversion route on A143 or Wilderness Lane to access the Co-Op car park. Egress from the car park onto Bullock Fair Close to remain. Southbound traffic on Broad Street / Church Street able to access The Thoroughfare.
Next Steps – the works planned for the week beginning 8 August are:
- Second gang to start works on The Thoroughfare, between Swan Lane and Bullock Fair Close, in conjunction with works along London Road.
- A Public Information Notice has been released for the introduction of Phase 2 of Traffic Management. In addition to Phase 1, as above, the Church Street / The Thoroughfare and Swan Lane / The Thoroughfare junctions will be closed, meaning traffic will not be able to pass between London Road and Bullock Fair Close.
- Northbound traffic to use signed diversion route on A143, or Wilderness Lane to access the Co-Op car park. The junction of Bullock Fair Close and The Thoroughfare will remain open.
- Southbound traffic on Broad Street will be diverted along Mendham Lane back out onto the A143. To facilitate this Mendham Lane will be made one-way southbound, with a no-entry restriction in place by Lime Close.
- This Traffic Management phase will be in place until late September, when the works along London Road will be completed beyond The Apiary, to allow the junction of Church Street / London Road to open again as Phase 3 of the Traffic Management.
- Works along London Road will include excavation of footway and installation of new kerbs and slabs.
- Works along The Thoroughfare from Swan Lane to Bullock Fair Close will include removal of paving and kerbs, as well as excavation of footway.
Parking Provisions – As part of the Harleston Town Centre Improvement works, echelon parking bays have been provided along Broad Street. These bays have been provided in order to maximise the capacity of available short stay parking in the Town Centre. The layout of these bays requires drivers to reverse into them in order to park. This arrangement was chosen following liaison with the County Council’s Road Safety Team. Indeed, the Traffic Signs Manual Chapter 3 states, in paragraph 13.6.9, that echelon parking bays should be angled so that drivers are required to reverse into them, as this is safer than reversing out, when visibility may be restricted by adjacent parked vehicles.
Following the site visit the Contractor will be asked for the parking lines are to be redone as they look unfinished.
FURTHER UPDATES
Meeting Local Business Owners – The Project Manager visited local businesses on Thursday to discuss individual requirements during the works. Access for businesses and residents will be accommodated.
Signage – The Project Manager met with the Emma Chandler, Deputy Town Clerk and Councillor Matt Scade on site to discuss signage. There are legal obligations for signage. However, the contractors are looking at various changes: spacing the signage along the highway at intervals that enable the driver to read rather than all together in one place; and wording to indicate that car parks remain accessible with better directions.
Questions – All public correspondence should be addressed to: enquiries@harleston-tc.gov.uk. We will answer those questions where we have the relevant information. We have been advised to forward questions which we are unable to answer to the project team, who commit to a response within 10 days.