£40m bypass is taking shape
HUGE EARTH-MOVING OPERATION PAVES WAY FOR ACCESS ROAD
THE equivalent of 120 Olympicsized swimming pools of earth has been removed as work continues on the long-awaited £40m Gedling bypass.
The development of the 3.8km single carriageway route began in January and a lane has been closed in Mapperley Plains so a footpath can be constructed.
This closure will be in place until mid-december.
Further down the construction site, a milestone has been reached because workers have now excavated and moved the equivalent of 120 Olympic-sized swimming pools of earth from Lambley Lane.
The earth has now been moved from the site towards Mapperley Plains where it is being used to construct an embankment to support the new road.
Gary Wood, group manager for highways and transport at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “Works on the Gedling Access Road have progressed throughout 2020 despite poor weather and the coronavirus pandemic.
“In coming weeks, the new junction for the Gedling Access Road with Burton Road and the A612 will be completed, and Burton Road will remain closed while permanent traffic signals are installed.
“We would like to thank residents and motorists for their ongoing understanding and patience while we carry out works along the route.
“As we look ahead to 2021, you can expect to see kerbs taking shape along the route as well as the construction of three new roundabouts and surfacing works.”
The Gedling Access Road (GAR) forms the final part of a wider highways scheme after the Eastern Outer Loop Road works began in the 1980s which led to Lady Bay Bridge becoming used as a road crossing over the River Trent, while Daleside Road was extended and Colwick Loop Road and Trent Valley Road were built.
The road now under construction will complete the wider works that have been led by the county council.
It has been described as “the final piece in the jigsaw”.
Once built, the 3.8km single carriageway will link the A612 Trent Valley Road and Nottingham Road to Mapperley Plains.
The GAR will run parallel with the A6211 Arnold Lane and through the centre of the old colliery site to serve the vast £140m Chase Farm housing estate that’s redeveloped the former pit site.
The road, set to cross several fields, Glebe Farm and a section of walled garden at Gedling House and part of the Carlton-le-willows Academy grounds, will reduce heavy traffic along Arnold Lane, Main Road and Shearing Hill through the centre of the village.
Planning permission for the GAR was approved in 2014 and a consortium, made up of the county council, Gedling Borough Council, Homes England, Keepmoat Homes, the developer behind Chase Farm, and the D2N2 Local Enterprise Partnership, has agreed to pay for the project.