Motorists using the southern end of Bradley Stoke Way (BSW) could be faced with extra delays for the next two weeks after MetroBus contractors Alun Griffiths announced they will need to introduce 24-hour temporary traffic lights on the approach to Great Stoke Roundabout (a.k.a. Rabbit Roundabout).

The company had previously given an assurance that temporary traffic lights, if needed at all in this location, would only be used at off-peak times.

The change of plan is said to be a consequence of design changes which require additional excavation work to be carried out.

A spokesperson for Alun Griffiths said:

“A large drainage excavation is required along the footway between Great Meadow and Great Stoke Roundabouts. Design changes are required due to underground services and the area required for root protection of certain species of tree. A 4m-deep excavation is required adjacent to the carriageway and a redesign has now been provided. This is different from our original scope, so 24-hour two-way temporary traffic lights are now required to cover the area of approximately 40 metres of road. This will not affect access to The Worthys.”

“To complete this work as safely as possible we will need to close the southbound lane at this point and use temporary traffic lights for a period of two weeks. We shall endeavour to complete this work and remove the traffic management earlier than the two-week period. Currently we are seeking to begin this work from Monday 12th June until Friday 23rd June. The lights will be manually controlled during peak hours 7am-9.30am and 3.30pm-6pm.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused during this time.”

The news comes just weeks after Alun Griffiths announced that work in the same area had been “re-sequenced”, meaning that it will now extend into August instead of being finished by the end of May (the scheduled completion date given at a public meeting in January).

Related links:

• MetroBus Build in Bradley Stoke (The Journal)
• Alun Griffiths community website

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MetroBus construction work will still be going on within Bradley Stoke as late as August 2017, the Journal can reveal.

The news follows a decision by MetroBus contractors Alun Griffiths to “re-sequence” its programme of work at the southern end of Bradley Stoke Way, where a new bus lane is being constructed on the southbound approach to Great Stoke Roundabout.

At the start of the project in September 2015, Griffiths said they planned to finish all MetroBus work in the town by Christmas 2016, beating the advertised completion date by a few months, but the discovery of a series of uncharted gas and water mains at the northern end of Bradley Stoke Way added delays, with the consequence that the Woodlands Lane junction remained fully or partially closed for 76 weeks instead of the 18 weeks originally estimated.

In December 2016, South Gloucestershire Council gave a projected date of 11th July 2017 for the completion of work near Great Stoke Roundabout, but at a public meeting in January 2017 Griffiths said they were aiming to complete it by the end of May. [See: Presentation slides]

Despite work on the stretch starting on schedule at the end of February and favourable weather conditions during April, Griffiths have recently announced that the work will now extend into “the school summer holiday period”.

Asked to expand on the statement in their monthly progress report, a Griffiths spokesperson said:

“There is a large drainage excavation on the north east corner of Great Stoke Roundabout and design changes may be required where the [underground] services cross it. This will make the excavation extremely difficult. Managing the safety of pedestrians around this area is our primary concern, as public safety and the safety of our workforce is paramount. Therefore, it has been decided to extend the existing traffic management (which is working well) into August, so that this work can be completed with the least disruption and safely.”

More: Slippage also on A38 Aztec West and Stoke Gifford By-Pass »

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By Jim Aitken, community liaison officer at Alun Griffiths Ltd.

Bradley Stoke Way (BSW)

All carriageway surfacing is now complete, including road markings and anti-skid. Landscaping is now taking place along BSW to the verge and swale areas, forming the embankments’ profiles so they may receive turfing and planting – this is very weather dependent. It is our intention to clear our compound area in Woodlands Lane and re-open this cycle / footpath in early June.

A38 south of Aztec West

The northbound MetroBus stop should take approximately another two weeks to complete. Surfacing to the southbound widening has now been completed and this is awaiting road marking. Additionally, an anti-skid surface will need to be applied after the six-week wearing-off period.

South of Patchway Brook

The bus lane will remain closed to allow for various ongoing traffic management switches so that landscaping and re-profiling works to the swales and verges can be completed, along with turfing and further tree/shrub planting.

Great Stoke Roundabout

Earthworks and road excavation are both 95 percent complete and drainage installation has commenced. The works do not impede the flow of traffic along this stretch and, as such, we will re-sequence our programme so that elements of some work can take place within the summer school holiday period. This will mean there is less traffic and lessen safety concerns as we tie the new road and drainage into the existing. Further lighting columns need to be relocated.

More: Latest on the Stoke Gifford Transport Link (a.k.a. The By-Pass) »

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The budget for maintaining roads, cycleways and footways across South Gloucestershire looks set to be slashed by up to £1m per annum for the next eight years in order to pay for the projected overspend on MetroBus, the Journal can reveal.

As previously reported, construction costs for the £102m North Fringe to Hengrove Package MetroBus route (the one which passes through Bradley Stoke) are forecast to be more than £11m over budget when it is completed later this year.

The original £102m budget for the scheme was made up of contributions from the government (£51.1m), Bristol City Council (£20.5m) and South Gloucestershire Council (£30.5m). However, because of the way the funding is arranged, with the government contribution being fixed and South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) committed to covering 61 percent of the remainder, SGC’s increased liability as a result of the projected overspend comes in at more than £7m, representing a massive 23 percent increase on the authority’s original budget.

The discovery of uncharted gas and water mains in Bradley Stoke is one of a number of factors being blamed for the increased costs. Protester action at the Stapleton allotments site, where a new bus-only junction on the M32 has been constructed, is another, along with “additional design, planning and contract management costs”.

As a short-term measure, SGC’s Policy & Resources Committee approved, in July 2016, the use of temporary funding to cover the overspend share of £5.259m projected at that time. However, by the time the council came to set its capital budget for 2017/18, the overspend share had risen to £7m and the council’s Environment and Community Services (ECS) Committee was tasked with coming up with a plan to fund it, either by diverting resources from other projects or taking on ‘prudential borrowing’ (i.e. a loan) that would need to be serviced over a number years.

More: Interest charges would add an extra £2.9m to overspend »

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