Traffic chaos forecast as busy Plymouth route Gdynia Way to close for five months
COMMUTERS face months of chaos in the east of Plymouth from the beginning of next month.
The first phase of the East End transport scheme will see Gdynia Way closed for five months.
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The road, which is the main route into the city from Plympton and Plymstock, is being widened to three lanes as part of an 18-month, £19million improvement scheme.
The worst of the disruption will be in the first phase, from June to October this year, with the closure of Gdynia Way.
Early work has already started in the area, and on Monday, June 1, contractors Amey will begin demolishing and rebuilding Elliott Road bridge.
Drivers who use Gdynia Way now will be diverted through either Embankment Road or the Cattedown industrial estate, along Finnigan Road/Shapters Road.
City workers are being urged to take to the buses to reduce the impact on the alternative routes. Leaflets and letters have been sent to residents and businesses.
At the heart of the scheme will be a new public transport corridor along Embankment Road heading east.
The new corridor, which will include a £500,000 package of 'public realm' improvements, is expected to nearly halve the amount of traffic using Embankment Road.
There will also be new and resurfaced roads and pavements, new off-road cycle paths to link the city centre with the East End, Plympton and Plymstock, and improved pedestrian links offering better access to local shops and amenities in the area.
Cllr Kevin Wigens, the city's cabinet member for transport, dismissed fears funding for the scheme could be cut under new Government austerity programmes.
"The money has been secured for this, and we wouldn't be starting work otherwise.
"We are committed to the scheme, and the Government is committed to the scheme," he said.
"We do understand that there will be significant disruption during the roadworks.
"Because it's a residential area, it isn't practical to do the work at night, so it will all happen in normal working hours."
The roadworks are designed to cope with traffic from new housing developments at Sherford and Plymstock Quarry.
Mr Wigens said: "It won't be wasted money if Sherford is delayed further. There will be considerable benefit from this scheme in terms of roads and public transport.
"Drivers will notice an improvement in their journey times — not huge, but significant. We also hope that with investment in public transport that will encourage more people to use it.
"Public transport has to be the key strategy for the city."
Mr Wigens said a lot of planning had gone into the scheme to try to ensure that the work would finish on time.
"We are confident there will be a number of local jobs, if not created then at least safeguarded."
He urged commuters to look for alternative routes to work, especially during the Gdynia Way closures.
"If you have to use the diversion, please understand there will be delays," he said.
Anthony Payne, the city's director of development and regeneration, said the scheme was not only about improved roads for cars and buses. "It is also about improving public transport, cycle tracks and public realm, especially in the area around Embankment Road.
"We estimate there should be about a 50 per cent reduction in traffic on Embankment Road, which will help to turn it into more of a local community centre."
He said residents near Gdynia Way would be helped because a new hi-tech, low-noise road surface would be used. Details of the work can be found on the council's website at www.plymouth.gov.uk/eastendtransportscheme
11 Comments
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by Frank, Wembury
Saturday, May 29 2010, 4:21PM
“The short Bus Lane on Laira Bridge Road (A379) should be suspended for the duration of this project to allow traffic coming from Plymstock to get to Cattedown and into the city. If necessary the Bus Lanes from Cattedown to the city centre should also be suspended.”
by steveo, plymouth
Saturday, May 22 2010, 3:23PM
“no doubt traffic from laira/plympton will try to go via laira road and mutley or lanhydrock road and beaumont road to avoid the traffic. another nail in the city centre shopping coffin.
i used to shop in town 2 or 3 times a week before the so called improvements, now i avoid it like the plague. i live in woolwell and i now shop more in tavistock as it's quicker to get to than the city centre and eaiser to park.”
by GOM, Plymouth
Friday, May 21 2010, 8:23PM
“Just listen to yourselves. Do you TJs ever have anything positive to say about anything?No wonder this city (the largest on the south coast) is stagnating when it's population are so negative about everything. You TJs are obsessively depressive.”
by George, Callington
Friday, May 21 2010, 7:50PM
“I wonder if the bus companies will raise or lower their prices during this chaos? Probably the former or am I being a cynic.”
by amazed, Plymouth
Friday, May 21 2010, 6:19PM
“"He urged commuters to look for alternative routes to work, especially during the Gdynia Way closures."
And what would that be if travelling from Plymstock then???”
by paul, mutley
Friday, May 21 2010, 6:05PM
“So the council are spending millions on this after spending however much on narrowing Royal Parade, pedestrianising a third of the city centre or so, just so we can sit in a que of traffic a bit closer to where we want to be. About time someone with some local knowledge actually planned the road layouts and other schemes. We seem to be paying more and more road tax and having less and less roads to drive on. SORT THE EXISTING ROADS BEFORE WASTING MY TAX POUND ON ROADS TO NOWHERE, please.”
by Steve, Plymouth
Friday, May 21 2010, 3:18PM
“Martin of Mutlry makes a good point and this should be the way forward.
This entire business will be a disaster once Sherford is built.
The place will be gridlocked.no matter hoe 'clever'they think they are you can only fit so many cars in to one space”
by Dave, Mutley
Friday, May 21 2010, 9:33AM
“Mark,
you want to look at the documents on the council website for local access routes.
The ones you want are http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/3_zones_1_and_2.pdf and http://www.plymouth.gov.uk/4_zones_3_4_and_5.pdf
The last one shows the right turn into Finngan Rd is being banned, so traffic will have to go to Morissons and U-turn at the roundabout, or just go straight ahead past Heles terrace along Embankment Rd to Cattedown and then turn left.”
by mark, cattedown
Friday, May 21 2010, 8:52AM
“"We estimate there should be about a 50 per cent reduction in traffic on Embankment Road, which will help to turn it into more of a local community centre."
No mention of the huge traffic increase on Gdynia way though!!
Three lanes squeezed into a narrow valley is asking for a head on fatal accident.
Please, please could somebody from the council answer the question whether there will be some form of hard shoulder on the new road layout, One broken down car and Plymouth will grind to an even bigger halt.
Could the Council please, please provide some detailed information to local homes and businesses about these closures and the diversions
Putting the recent "Eastender" newsletter through our doors which contained nothing but 8 pages of adverts for the bus companies, car sharing and cycle routes is of no help whatsoever.
Residents have no choice put to enter and leave the area.
The most obvious alternate route coming from Marsh Mills would be Heles Terrace, then head towards Plymstock and turn right into Finnigan Road (behind the MFI units) before Laria Bridge. This route is used by most of the industrial estate traffic.
Can the Council confirm whether or not this right turn will be closed during the road works as there was a very very small note in the corner of a map in the aforementioned newsletter but no other reference to it in the entire document.
Most of the information in the press is for "through traffic".
There has been no mention that any considersation has been given as to how residents trying to exit side roads into the flow of diverted traffic.”
by Kevin, Plymouth EUSSR
Friday, May 21 2010, 8:50AM
“My only hope is that the council arn't using the same company to build these new roads as they have used to "repair" the potholes”