Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty are warning people living in and around Horsford, or who travel through Horsford on their way to Norwich, that travel will be disrupted by closures of the B1149 Holt Road from Monday 3 October to Friday 14 October 2016.
The closures, one either side of the Holly Lane junction with Holt Road, are needed to divert a gas main, water main and irrigation pipe. Attempts to carry out the work under traffic lights in August were unsuccessful because of the depth of the gas main – over 2 metres deep – and the presence of a fragile asbestos cement water main within the road. The scale of excavation needed can only be carried out under full road closures, which will take place as follows:
Monday 3 October to Friday 7 October
Holt Road closed between Horsford village and Holly Lane.
Long peak hour delays are possible on Church Street from its junction with the A140 Cromer Road. Traffic control will be in place at the Church Street/Cromer Road junction to help drivers make the right turn towards Norwich safely. However, A-road traffic will be given priority so delays on Church Street are unavoidable.
Temporary traffic lights will also be used at the Holt Road junction with Church Street. This is mainly to ensure that buses and other large vehicles can make the turn without causing a log-jam. Bus users are advised to check with bus companies for changes in timetables and routes.
Provided works are on schedule, the closure will be lifted for the weekend of 8/9 October.
Monday 10 October to Friday 14 October
Holt Road closed between Holly Lane and the Holt Road/A140 Cromer Road roundabout.
Holly Lane will be available as well as Church Street, but delays are likely on both routes. The right turn out of Church Street into Holt Road will be more difficult in the evenings because northbound traffic will be coming up Holt Road from Holly Lane.
John Birchall, NDR public liaison officer, said: “This road closure is the most difficult we’ve faced. Unfortunately, when we dug down, we found that the gas main was more than two metres deep and very close to a fragile water main. After looking at a number of options our engineers were forced to accept that much bigger excavations, under road closures, were unavoidable.
“It’s not possible to reopen the old Drayton Lane again. We delayed sewer diversion work in August to keep the lane open, but specialist contractors are scheduled to start sewer diversions in the next few days, and any further delay could cause access problems for Horsford later in the contract by holding up construction of the realigned Drayton Lane.
“This leaves Church Street as the only route available to the south of Horsford during the first week. We will have traffic control at the junction with the A140, but it’s bound to be under pressure, particularly during the morning peak.
“We would urge all users of the B1149 Holt Road to allow extra time for journeys, avoid peak hours and use alternative routes if possible.”
Norfolk County Council and Balfour Beatty apologise for the disruption these unavoidable closures will cause.
