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Agenda item

Bridge Works on Holloway Road

Minutes:

Nick Fairholme, TFL Director of Programmes was present and was accompanied by Daniel Hall, Project Manager TFL and provided a verbal update to the Committee during which the following main points were made-


·          Nick Fairholme apologised to residents and businesses for the disruption to their daily lives as a result of the unplanned works on the Holloway Bridge Work on the A1.  In explaining the causes for the work, Nick Fairholme reminded Members that works on the bridge was necessary as the bridge had reached the end of its operational life and that the delay and subsequent closure of long sections of the Holloway Road was done in consultation with Islington Council and Highways Officers simply to allow demolition to be carried out during the Christmas period when traffic would be lighter.

·         Ascertaining the ownership of the deep seated cables under the road surface owned by gas, electricity, water and telecommunication companies was very challenging as in most cases they had been laid underground for decades.

·         Nick Fairholme acknowledged that as a result of the disruption especially over the October half term break in 2016, TFL did issue over 500 letters and emails to residents and businesses explaining the situation and staff were deployed to respond to enquiries from residents and businesses in the affected area on Holloway Road. In addition he also stated that TFL would respond at short notice especially when sudden incidents occurred for example making available shuttle buses.

·         The Director confirmed that he was delighted to announce that despite the disruption, the unplanned works to the Bridge was completed on schedule with all the roads opened by 16 January 2017 and traffic restrictions lifted.

·         Members were advised that although engineering works are complex in nature, most of the challenges are not noticeable until when work commences however lessons learnt from this experience would be shared when TFL engages in other projects.

·         Nick Fairholme advised the Committee that a number of options had been considered with regards to the closure of the A1 road and the decision was not taken lightly and the overriding issue in this instance was safety.

·         Lessons learnt from the experiences on the Holloway Bridge project include improving the engagement and consultation process with residents and businesses by using social media forums to communicate not only prior to the commencement of the project but throughout the duration of the project. Also better collaboration between contractor and utility companies should be encouraged especially where there are over 15 different utility companies involved.

·         With regards to identifying ownership of underground utility cables especially in the future, Members were advised that utilities are now mapped and there are now electronic records available which identifies not only the exact location but the actual depths of the cables underground.

·         The meeting was advised that Upper Holloway would have a number of utility cables but these were not as complex as those that were found on the Bridge works at Holloway Road.

·         A Member wanted TFL to consider the impact of the works around Highbury Corner on passenger safety using the Highbury & Islington station especially on Arsenal match days as this would result in an increase in footfall in and around the area.      

·         Nick Fairholme advised that works on the Highbury Corner would involve demolition of the bridge which would result in vehicular diversions in and around the area. The meeting was advised that TFL has plans to carry out works around the Christmas break so as to minimise disruption and that the works will be carried out in phases.

·         The first phase which involved the partial demolition of the bridge was carried out in summer 2016 with the next phase commencing between April to June 2017 on the carriageway and the final major work which involve the closure of roads around Highbury Corner would commence around Christmas.

·         Members requested that both local businesses and residents be kept abreast of the works schedule around Highbury Corner. Nick Fairholme agreed that communication was vital however it was important to manage public expectation as too much information provided too early in the scheme could easily be forgotten however TFL would endeavour to keep all affected updated.

·         In response to a question on whether TFL had the ability to manage the Highbury Corner works following its experience on Holloway Road, Nick Fairholme assured Members that TFL had a good track record of delivery such as the Hammersmith Bridge project were completed on time .

·         A Member indicated that there is a public perception that TFL’s primary focus centres around buses and their routes instead of those residents that are directly affected with the ongoing works as they have no form of involvement or contribution prior to and during the works.   It was suggested that TFL should facilitate on site meetings with local people being invited to feed into the work programme.

·         In response to a question about the delay on the Gospel oak to Barking Line, Nick Fairholme advised that he was not directly involved and not aware of the present situation.

·         Nick Fairholme agreed to update the Committee at a future meeting on the progress of works, the timeline for works around Highbury Corner and the proposed bus diversion routes when information is available.

·         The Executive Member for Environment & Transport informed Members that the Council had been engaged throughout the period of disruption on Holloway Road, and that she had attended the public meeting between TFL and the public which had provided an opportunity for TFL to listen to residents concern. She also stated that having undertaken a site visit she saw the full extent of the issues and its complexity.

Members welcomed the news that no complaints were received from residents or businesses of any loss to the service provided by any of the utilities.

The chair thanked Nick Fairholme and Daniel Hall for attending.


It was RESOLVED that


1.      The TFL Director of Programmes provide details to the Committee on the engineering works around Highbury Corner and in particular the proposed bus diversion routes that will put in place.