Welcome to Warwickshire County Council

Progress Updates 2009 - Part 1
4 June 2009 The temporary traffic lights at Potfords Dam Roundabout have been removed except for an occasional service connection. However with the new roundabout being so close to the existing railway bridge, there remains a problem with visibility involving high vehicles having to monopolise the centre of the road under the bridge. When the Relief Road is fully open, this problem should lessen significantly but in the meantime, an improved system of white lines have been provided. Drivers are asked to treat this area with particular caution, and observe the temporary mandatory speed limit. Between Potfords Dam and Cawston, work on the pedestrian/cycleway is progressing and also the verges are being shaped and topsoil is being laid. The outstanding earthmoving operations near Sow Brook are nearing completion, and it should only be a matter of weeks before the tarmac is extended to within 30m of the new bridge. Sow Brook Bridge is now well out of the ground. It is planned to pour the south abutment during the week commencing 8 June. The temporary road alongside Lawford Road, adjacent to the embankment and bridge over the disused railway line, is now complete and in use. Work is now progressing to remove the old embankment, and it is planned that the bridge itself will be taken down towards the end of the week commencing 8 June. Construction of the tunnel to connect the quarries on either side of Parkfield Road is now progressing with a system of soil nailing to strengthen the adjacent quarry face being carried out (see photograph). All the beams of Parkfield Road Railway Bridge are now in place, and work is progressing well on the deck. The main pour of the River Avon Bridge Deck has now been successfully carried out. This required no less than 750 tonnes of concrete being pumped into place during an operation which lasted over 12 hours. Work is now continuing on the construction of the bridge parapets. At Newbold Road Roundabout near Avon Valley School, the earthworks have now started. The construction of this roundabout will inevitably cause major disruption to what is already a very busy road. However a considerable amount of careful planning is taking place to ensure that this disruption will be kept to an absolute minimum during peak times. The cycle/pedestrian facility between Newbold Road Roundabout and the Avon Mill Roundabout is nearing completion and shall be opened to the public by the end of June (see photograph). This will allow the widening and carriageway strengthening work between the two roundabouts on Newbold Road to progress.		Removal of old Lawford Road railway embankment Soil nailing operations on Cemex Quarry face Parkfield Road Railway Bridge Parapet work on River Avon Bridge Cycle pedestrian facility at Newbold Road
7 May 2009 The temporary off peak traffic signals that had been employed at Potford’s Dam Roundabout have now been removed until late summer when the final surfacing will be laid. At Sow Brook Bridge, work on the abutments is progressing and it is hoped that the beams will be lifted into place in July. The temporary road alongside Lawford Road which will allow the embankment and bridge over the disused railway line to be removed, is nearing completion. The tie ins with the existing road near the Flats and Paynes Lane will be construction during the last two weekends of May. Unfortunately this will mean that Lawford Road will be closed to traffic during both weekends, but pedestrian access will be maintained. Paynes Lane will also remain open, but if coming from the town centre, it will have to be accessed using Bilton Lane and turning right at the Sheaf and Sickle corner. The disused railway bridge which is hump-backed and for many years has created a traffic hazard, will be taken down in early June. The service diversions on Parkfield Road to allow an interconnecting tunnel between the adjacent quarries to be built, are nearing completion. This includes a large high pressure rising foul sewer which has been laid above ground (see photograph). Lifting operations of the pre-stressed concrete beams for Parkfield Railway Bridge will commence overnight on May 9 and 10. This section of the West Coast Mainline will be totally closed to rail traffic throughout these operations. During the next couple of weeks, it is planned to carry out the main concrete pour of the Avon River bridge deck. This will be very major operation and involve the placing of more than 750 tonnes of concrete. The relatively good weather in recent weeks has enabled Newbold Road Roundabout near Avon Valley School to progress well, and the road construction is now underway. Weekly site minibus tours for members of the public have now restarted after the winter break. If you are interested in joining one of these tours, please contact Peter Bones of Warwickshire County Council on 01788 513125. They generally take place on a Tuesday morning and last about 1½ hours. Owing to the limited number of spaces available, a first come first served system is operated.		Temporary Diversion of Lawford Road Parkfield Road Railway Bridge North Abutment Temporarily Diverted High Pressure Rising Foul Sewer Reinforcing Steel in place for the Deck Pour of Avon River Bridge Road Construction Progessing at Newbold Road Roundabout
8 April 2009 With the improvement in the weather and increased hours of daylight, there has been an increase in activity on the site over the last few weeks. The work on Potfords Dam Roundabout is now nearing completion, and it is hoped that the off peak temporary traffic signals will soon be removed altogether. The backfilling of the Cawston Link Underpass, which spans the disused railway line is now underway. At Sow Brook Bridge, the reinforcing steel is being fixed in the south base, and temporary works on the north base, which include the sheet piling, is nearing completion. A temporary road is currently being constructed alongside Lawford Road adjacent to the embankment and bridge over the disused railway line. It is planned for this to be completed to allow the embankments and bridge to be removed at about the end of June. Unfortunately, before this temporary road in brought into use, there will be a need to employ traffic signals where the temporary road ties into the existing, and this will inevitably cause further delays to road users. More details will be given nearer the time. The temporary works associated with the construction of a tunnel to connect the quarries on either side of Parkfield Road is continuing with numerous services having to be re-routed or supported by a temporary bridge. The south abutment curtain walls of Parkfield Road Railway Bridge are currently being constructed. It is planned to place the beams over the railway line starting on May 9th and this operation will continue for the following five weekends. Work on the deck of the River Avon Bridge is progressing with cantilever formwork being fixed to enable the edges of the bridge to be cast. At Newbold Road Roundabout near Avon Valley School, the earthworks have now started. It is planned that as much of the off road work will be done during term time, and the tying into the existing road, which will require traffic control, will be done during school holidays when it is expected that the traffic will be lighter. Weekly site minibus tours for members of the public have now restarted after the winter break. If you are interested in joining one of these tours, please contact Peter Bones of Warwickshire County Council on 01788 513125. They generally take place on a Tuesday morning and last about 1½ hours. Owing to the limited number of spaces available, a first come first served system is operated.		Earthmoving at Newbold Road Roundabout Catilver Formwork in place for the edge of the River Avon Bridge Deck Reinforcing Steel being positioned on the River Avon Bridge Deck Reinforcing Steel being fixed on the South Base of Sow Brook Bridge Construction of temporary road next to Lawford Road
10 March 2009 The heavy snow of mid February resulted in no activity being carried out on site for nearly two weeks. This has put back the anticipated time when it was hoped to have the roundabout at Potfords Dam open to traffic to Monday 16th March. The full time traffic signals will then be removed although certain outstanding works will require part time lights. However these activities will be carried out during off peak times to minimise the delays to road users. The main steel section Cawston Bridleway Bridge was lifted into place on March 4th, and this spectacle was watched by children from Brook School and also representatives from the charity Circles Network. They have a particular interest as they have riding stables close by near Potfords dam. The temporary works for the foundation for Sow Brook Bridge have hit problems owing to ground conditions and excessive moisture. However progress is now being made and it is hoped that the first foundation base will be concreted in the next week. The temporary works associated with the construction of a tunnel to connect the quarries on either side of Parkfield Road has started with the installation of a temporary bridge. The structure will provide personnel access for the workforce, and provide support to the numerous services which are buried in the existing carriageway. The south abutment of Parkfield Road Railway Bridge has now been poured. It is hoped to place the beams over the railway line some time in mid April. All the steel beams for the River Avon Bridge have been delivered to site and lifted into place. The next stage which involves the positioning of shorter, concrete planks which span between the steel members and upon which the road will be constructed, is now progressing. With the longer hours of daylight, and the anticipated improvement in the weather, weekly minibus tours of the site for members of the public will be resuming shortly. If you are interested in going on one of these tours, please contact Peter Bones of Warwickshire County Council on 01788 513125. The tours generally take place on a Tuesday morning and take about 1½ hours. Owing to the limited number of spaces available, a first come first served system is operated.		Cawston Bridleway Bridge arriving on site Cawston Bridleway Bridge in Place Laying Tarmac at Potfords Dam Roundabout Parkfield Road Railway Bridge Steelwork in Place on River Avon Bridge
29 January 2009 After a successful weekends work during the closure of the A4071 Coventry Road near the disused railway bridge, tarmac has been laid on the south sector of the roundabout near Potfords Dam. This has resulted in the similar closure planned for the weekend of February 7th to 9th being cancelled. Offline work is progressing on the north sector of the roundabout and it is hoped that this will be completed by the end of February. This will mean that the temporary traffic lights will be removed which will improve the traffic flow in that area. The work on Cawston Bridleway Bridge is on programme for placing the prefabricated superstructure unit on 25th February. This unit is about 40m long, nearly 4m wide and is being manufactured in South Wales. It will be delivered by road and in order for it to get round the A45 Blue Boar Junction some road signs and lamp columns will be temporally removed. Work has started on Sow Brook Bridge, and the base for the south abutment has been excavated. Drainage work is progressing alongside Lawford Road to enable a temporary road to be constructed to allow the removal of the disused railway bridge and the approach embankments. It is expected that the temporary road will be brought into use before Easter. Contaminated ground has been discovered in derelict land formerly used by Rugby Cement to north of Lawford Road. The limits and nature of this material is now being defined so it can be removed and disposed of in the appropriate way. A temporary bridge has been set up on Parkfield Road to provide temporary support to the numerous existing buried services, before a major excavation can commence. The excavation spanned by this temporary bridge will enable the construction of a tunnel between the quarries on either side of the road to be progressed. For the next few weekends, rail possessions have been obtained to allow work to progress on the south abutment of Parkfield Road Railway Bridge. It is planned to place the bridge beams at the end of March.		Potfords Dam Roundabout Cawston Bridleway Bridge Under Construction Part Of Foundation For Sow Brook Bridge River Avon Bridge
On Monday February 9th and on several other days during that week, bridge beams of lengths up to 55m will be delivered to site for the Avon River Bridge. They will be approaching from the M6 down the A426 and unfortunately the slow moving nature of the transport used will cause some delay to other road users. For some of the larger beams the only way they will be able to get round Avon Mill roundabout will be by approaching it on the wrong side of the dual carriageway. This will result in the police having to stop all traffic on the northbound carriageway for some 10 minutes while this particularly awkward manoeuvre is made. It is not known exactly when the closures will be, but to avoid the busier times of day, they will be some time between 10:00 am and 3:00 pm. If all goes well, the closures will only be necessary for the Monday of that week. Upon delivery of the bridge beams, they will be lifted into place during the following two weeks using one of the largest cranes in the country. Offline work will be starting on Newbold Road Roundabout, which is to be just outside Avon Valley School, during March. It will be necessary to have temporary traffic lights during certain stages of the construction but it is hoped that it will coincide with the school holidays. Before this work commences, the pedestrian access routes in this area will be enlarged and improved.
Progress Updates 2009 - Part 2	Progress Updates 2008