“Clay sir?” That’ll be £50,000 please

York Council claims it has no money to repair speed warning signs or lop trees on Wetherby Road

Work on the Wetherby Road roundabout is almost completed with no further road closures expected.

It has been revealed that the costs of managing the night time closure of the junction were over £39,000.

The Council recently also awarded a contract for the supply of clay for the project. The contract for the clay was valued at £50,000 (!)

Provision of a street lighting “passively safety scheme” at the junction cost £220,000.

These sums can be compared to the potential cost of a few thousand pounds to lop trees on Wetherby Road which are currently obstructing vehicle and pedestrian movements. The Council says that it does not have the budget to compete necessary tree work or reinstate the speed warning sign which has been missing for over 12 months.

Some landscaping work is expected to take place in 2019 at the Wetherby Road/A1237 junction before contractors move on to upgrade the next roundabout.

York Councillors asked to approve funding for York outer ring road dualling

Councillors will be asked to approve match funding for the dualling of the York outer ring road from the A19 Shipton Road through to Little Hopgrove (Malton Road), when they meet at Executive on Thursday 20 December.

The plans don’t include improvements to the Ouse river crossing, one of the main pressure points on the existing network. Nor are there plans to introduce split level intersections  raising concerns that the existing junctions, even with larger roundabouts, will continue to be pinch pints on the network.

A Council report asks the Executive to recommend  that £2.8m match funding, approximately 10 percent of the estimated £28m cost of the dualling element of the overall upgrade scheme, is provided in the Council’s Capital Programme.

The opportunity for funding of the scheme using the new Major Road Network Fund was announced by the Secretary for State earlier this year.

This follows on from the outer ring road roundabout upgrade scheme which will see seven roundabouts upgraded ready for dualling as part of a West Yorkshire plus Transport Fund scheme.

Work is nearly complete at Wetherby Road roundabout after starting earlier this year. Monks Cross is the next in line with ground clearance works set to take place early in 2019. It is proposed to join the dualling and roundabout schemes together as early as possible to reduce overall costs and disruption.

Subject to the decision on the match funding proposal at this Executive meeting a formal Outline Business Case (OBC) would be submitted to the DfT this month.  This is the first stage of the DfT’s approval process. Dependent on a positive assessment of the OBC and Ministerial approval it is anticipated that Programme Entry status would be granted for the scheme by March 2019.

Increasing the capacity of the ring road leading to the redistribution of trips will complement the city’s transport policies and help to enable more sustainable travel options to be delivered in the urban area of the city.

The York Outer Ring Road improvements programme is being funded through the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, and the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of Government investment through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.

For more information about the York outer ring road roundabout upgrades visit www.york.gov.uk/yorr

Executive takes place on Thursday 20 December from 5.30pm and is open to members of the public or is available to watch live online from: www.york.gov.uk/webcasts

To find out more about the report, or to attend, visit: https://democracy.york.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=733&MId=10475&Ver=4

Westfield residents petition for better roads and footpaths

Local LibDem Councillor Sue Hunter will present 4 petitions to the York Council meeting on Thursday.

They cover the following issues raised by residents.

Speed humps on Askham Lane need repairs

(i)      regarding the following improvements prior to any further building work starting in the Hob Moor area:

  • Improving the access along Kingsway West/Ascot Way, removing  where necessary, the grass verge
  • Providing dropped kerbs of lay-by parking where this doesn’t already exist
  • Providing alternative, modern, children’s play facilities before any existing provision is removed

(ii)      regarding having roads and footpaths in the Ridgeway area repaired and, where necessary, resurfaced and that  grass verges be “edged” and hedges trimmed back so that the original widths of footpaths are restored.

(iii)     regarding having roads and footpaths (including speed cushions) at the low numbered end of Askham Lane repaired and that grass verges be “edged” and that hedges/trees are trimmed back so  that the original  width of the  footpath is restored.

(iv)    calling on Talk Talk to repair the footpaths and verges that they have damaged during their works

Petitions presented at full Council meetings are normally referred for an officer report to be prepared. They are then considered by a Council committee.

Wetherby Road roundabout – final resurfacing works due to start next week

Work on Wetherby Road roundabout proceding on schedule

The final stage of the Wetherby Road roundabout upgrade, the first of seven to be upgraded, will begin on Monday 19 November when overnight road surfacing works take place.

To keep disruption to a minimum work will take place overnight from 8pm-6am. The work is scheduled to take ten nights, from 19 – 28 November  including Saturday and Sunday

In order to carry out the works safely the use of a temporary road closure on the A1237 from the roundabout at A59 to the roundabout at Askham Lane and the closure of Wetherby Road from the junction of Beckfield Lane to the junction of Grange Lane will be necessary whilst works are taking place. The road will remain open as normal outside the above hours.

Clearly signed diversion routes will be set out for traffic. The closure is to ensure that health and safety is maintained for everyone.Site staff will be on hand to advise and assist residents about the access restrictions once the works are ongoing.

Emergency services will be permitted through the works in any situation, however, cyclists will be subject to the same traffic management as other vehicular road users.

As with any construction work, there is likely to be a certain amount of disruption and inconvenience to the public, however we will try at all times to keep this to a minimum.

There may be further works following on from this period but these will be carried out under lane closures and temporary signals with the A1237 and Wetherby Road remaining open.

When the roundabout is completed it will be the first of seven to receive three lane entrances and two lane exits as part of a £38m scheme to reduce congestion on the York Outer Ring Road.

The York Outer Ring Road improvements programme is being funded through the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, and the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of Government investment through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Regio

For more information about the York Outer Ring Road improvements visit www.york.gov.uk/yorr (more…)

Night time closure of A1237 northern by pass and Wetherby Road starts on 19th November

Work on Wetherby Road roundabout  Overnight closures for 10 days 

City of York Council will be carrying out surfacing works at the above said location commencing on Monday 19th November 2018 for a period of 10 days including Saturday and Sunday (weather permitting).

The works will be carried out between 8.00pm – 6.00am. The roads will remain open as normal outside the above hours.

There will be further works following on from this period but these will be carried out under lane closures and temporary signals with the A1237 and Wetherby Rd remaining open.

In order to carry out the works safely the use of a temporary road closure on the A1237 from the roundabout at A59 to the roundabout at Askham Lane and the closure of Wetherby Road from the junction of Beckfield Lane to the junction of Grange Lane (rural) will be necessary whilst works are taking place.

See plan below for location of closed off area which is shown in red.

Outside of working hours the road will remain open as normal.

Clearly signed diversion routes will be set out for local and through traffic . The closure is to ensure that adequate Health and Safety is maintained for both local residents, the travelling public and the Contractor. Site staff will be on hand to advise and assist residents about the access restrictions once the works are ongoing. Your assistance will be much appreciated.

Emergency services will be permitted through the works in any situation. Cyclists will be subject to the same traffic management as other road user vehicles.

Now Hope Street residents join clamour for York Council to invest more in road and footpath repairs

Following yesterdays appeal by residents living in Welborne Close for improvements to roads and footpaths in their area, people living in Hope Street have added their voices to the campaign.

In the City centre street, which lies close to Walmgate, parts of the carriageway have  worn away with the surface of the road now turning to dust. This is particularly dangerous for cycle and moped riders.

Footpaths also have become a patchwork of temporary reinstatements.

The Council will be considering its budget plans for next year shortly and campaigners will be seeking a substantial increase in allocations for road and footpath resurfacing across the City.

Residents angry over state of roads as Council says “collect a petition”

The York Council seems to be slipping into an alternative world as they launch “democracy week” in the City. They suggest various ways of influencing their policies and priorities including attending “budget consultation meetings”.

They seem to have developed a blind spot about the quality of some of the public services in the city.

Roads, footpaths and verges in many areas are now in appalling condition and this before we suffer the ravages of icy winter weather.

Reality check needed

One resident has written to us to complain about his difficulty in getting potholes repaired in a  local road “the complaints procedure is a farce”

Potholes on poorly maintained carriageway in Welborne Close

 

 

 

Temporary repairs on Parliament Street

Parliament Street

City of York Council will carry out temporary repairs of broken and uneven paving slabs/flags on Parliament Street from next week.

Over the years, the paving has become worn and damaged. One of the main reasons for this is because the trees on Parliament Street are taking a huge amount of water from the underlying clay, which is shrinking the clay underneath the paved areas. As a result an entire new section of pavement from the area near the old fountain to Mark’s and Spencer is required.

The council listened to businesses and retailers in June, when works were originally due to be carried out, and postponed these during the busy summer months.

Following further assessment of the highway, the paving has deteriorated even more – to a level which now requires immediate repairs ahead of the busy Christmas period. This is in order ensure the area is safe for pedestrians.

The temporary measures will include taking up broken and uneven paving slabs/flags and laying two new layers of tarmac surface.

The temporary repairs will start week commencing the 1 October and be completed by the 2 November.

This is not a permanent solution and plans to resurface the full area are in development.

Businesses and retailers were hand delivered letters outlining the works on Thursday 27 September.

City of York Council will be carrying out the works and will be responsible for public safety and for providing access while the work is ongoing.

Works are scheduled to take place between 7am and 4pm Monday to Friday.  However some out of hours working will be required (early morning and weekends) to reconstruct access to retailers premises to reduce the impact of this work to businesses in the area.

As with any construction work there is likely to be a certain amount of disruption and inconvenience, but the council will be doing everything reasonably possible to keep this to a minimum.

Wetherby Road roundabout upgrades – drivers warned about overnight closures next week

The Wetherby Road roundabout upgrade is moving a step closer to completion with resurfacing works on the roundabout and approach roads currently taking place.

When the roundabout is completed it will be the first of seven to receive wider entrances and exits as part of a £38m scheme to reduce congestion on the outer ring road.

The current resurfacing work is taking place in three phases. Phases one and two have been completed and phase three is set to start on Monday 24 September until Friday 28 September with work taking place overnight from 8pm – 5am to keep disruption to a minimum. During this time, in order to carry out the works safely, Wetherby Road will be closed from the junction of Beckfield Lane to the A1237.

A signed diversion route will be in place. In addition to this 3-way traffic lights will be in operation on the A1237 and Rufforth arm of Wetherby Road with traffic reduced to a single lane.

Further night-time resurfacing work is set to take place in November which will include overnight closures of the roundabout. Final dates and times are to be determined with the contractor and will be confirmed closer to the time.

As with any construction work, there is likely to be a certain amount of disruption and inconvenience to the public, however we will try at all times to keep any disruption to a minimum.

The York Outer Ring Road improvements programme is being funded through the West Yorkshire-plus Transport Fund, and the Leeds City Region Growth Deal – a £1 billion package of Government investment through the West Yorkshire Combined Authority and Leeds City Region Enterprise Partnership (LEP) to accelerate growth and create jobs across Leeds City Region.

For more information about the York Outer Ring Road improvements visit www.york.gov.uk/yorr