Disruption expected on busy road as gas mains work starts
DRIVERS who use a busy Coventry link road are set for weeks of delays after roadworks got underway this week.
Cadent, formerly known as National Grid, are working to replace old iron gas mains with more durable plastic pipes under Wolfe Road, in Canley.
The work means temporary traffic lights have been installed and the road has been reduced to one lane around the roadworks.
Wolfe Road is popular with drivers travelling between Canley and Tile Hill and joins Charter Avenue with Torrington Avenue.
Work in the area started on Monday and is expected to last about three weeks.
In an update provided for residents, Chad Smallman, network coordinator at Coventry City Council, said: “In this instance Cadent Gas are undertaking works at that location as part of their statutory obligation to maintain their equipment, and the nature of the work sometimes necessitates that a certain level of disruption is unavoidable.
“Whilst both Torrington Avenue and Charter Avenue carry high volumes of traffic, Wolfe Road is not designated as traffic sensitive, is not a bus route, and there are alternative routes for the majority of east/west through traffic to utilise.”
He added: “The location of works is currently midway between the two junctions rather than in close proximity to either Torrington Avenue or Charter Avenue, which would in other cases increase the need for restricted layouts and manual control to avoid disrupting the main traffic flow and so forth. “Whilst we always endeavour to minimise the disruption, unfortunately not all works are possible on solely an offpeak basis, particularly those involving extensive excavation over a period of weeks. “In this instance the works are unfortunately a necessary inconvenience to allow the maintenance of the residents’ gas supply.”
“We will of course monitor the situation and, should the disruption affect either Torrington Avenue or Charter Avenue, then increased efforts will need to be taken by Cadent accordingly.
“But unfortunately there is no reasonable option that avoids a moderate level of disruption to Wolfe Road itself on this occasion.” THE care home market may not have enough places to help elderly people in need by the end of this Parliament, new research suggests.
Almost nine in ten councils across England could see a shortfall in care home places by 2022, new Which? analysis found.
The shortage will be particularly acute in some parts of the country, with 14 regions needing to increase their current number of care home beds by more than 25 per cent, the consumer champion said.
According to the research, 87 per cent of councils responsible for providing social care may not have enough places to meet potential demand by 2022.
The analysis of how population changes may impact on elderly care beds found only 20 of the 150 council areas are on track to keep up with likely demand.
This means the remaining 130 will need to increase provision.
Whilst we always endeavour to minimise disruption, unfortunately not all works are possible on solely an off-peak basis.