Long-term benefits will make up for disruption
FIVE-MONTH CLOSURE IS PART OF £40M ACCESS ROAD PROJECT
PEOPLE living near a Nottinghamshire road which has closed for five months say the “benefits outweigh the costs” despite the disruption.
The residents, on Jessops Lane in Gedling, have been affected by the closure of nearby Lambley Lane as work continues on the new Gedling Access Road.
The new road, part of a £40 million scheme, is being built by Nottinghamshire County Council to ease traffic issues through Gedling village and serve the new Chase Farm housing development.
The 3.8km single carriageway has been decades in the making and will link the A612 Trent Valley Road and Nottingham Road to Mapperley Plains – running parallel with the A6211 Arnold Lane.
Roadworks have been continuing throughout the area during the construction of the road, including a daytime closure of Lambley Lane from June last year until earlier this month to serve ground works.
The council then closed off a large stretch of the road this month until around the end of May, for drainage works.
People living near the construction site in Lambley Lane spoke with the Post about what it’s like living near the closure.
Steven Scott’s Jessops Lane home backs out on to the construction site and he says the work has made it difficult to get into nearby Gedling Country Park.
But the 41-year-old believes the road will benefit residents in the long run.
“It hasn’t been too bad, really. But it’s the most disruptive at the minute because it’s right on the junction,” he said.
“But it’s not been too much of a hardship, really. This is probably the noisiest it has been.
“The benefits outweigh the costs because when the Gedling Access Road has finished it will be really good for the area.
“In ways it has actually made Jessops Lane quieter because it was used as a through road for people accessing Gedling Country Park.
“The only downfall really is that it’s difficult for us getting up to the country park ourselves. We have to go on to Arnold Lane and up to Mapperley Plains to get there now.”
Jenny Fisher, 49, was walking her dog through the area and believes the completed access road will “help the area massively”.
She said: “I only moved around here a few months ago so I’ve been used to the disruption.
“From what I’ve heard it’s going to make things better on Arnold Lane, and that will help the area massively with traffic.
“It can be a nightmare trying to turn from Lambley Lane back on to Arnold Lane, and if this stops then it’s worth it in the long run.”
Rebecca Brown, 32, who also lives nearby, added: “It’s a little dirty up there and the traffic lights are a bit of a pain. There isn’t much need for there to be the three-way signal.
“But apart from that it really isn’t an issue, and it definitely helps that we’re in lockdown so not as many people need to go out and use the road. “I am looking forward to it being complete, though.” The county council says the Gedling Access Road scheme remains on track to open by autumn of this year.
A spokesperson added: “A daytime closure was in place from June 2020 until this month to allow for earthworks to take place.
“The road was open during the evenings and weekends.
“A full closure of Lambley Lane is now in place until May to allow for drainage works and diversions of statutory undertaker’s apparatus.
“The closure will see a section of the road closed 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“A diversion route will be in place via A6211 Arnold Lane, B684 Mapperley Plains, Spring Lane and vice versa.”
The benefits outweigh the costs because when the road has finished it will be really good for the area Steven Scott