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.