Andrew has received a further update from East Riding Council regarding the planned suspension of works on Boothferry Bridge and what needs to happen before both lanes can be opened up and the traffic management removed.
Here is the latest:-
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Regarding the removal of the current traffic restrictions, the Council have decided to remove the bridge deck re-surfacing, and re-waterproofing work from the current contract, with the aim for this work to be carried out in the future as part of a programme of planned highway maintenance, co-ordinated with National Highways to ensure, as far as possible, no works are envisaged on the M62 Ouse Bridge.
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They have informed me that the difficulty with these two final operations is that Boothferry Bridge will need to be fully closed for 3-4 consecutive weekends, or ideally 1 full week. They say there is also a risk that once the existing surfacing and waterproofing is removed, additional emergency repair works to the bridge deck will be needed, potentially extending the closure(s). Removing this element of work is more about reducing the risk of further delays and traffic congestion, whilst National Highways still have the lane restrictions on the M62. Furthermore, the Council say they are conscious that harvest is almost upon us, and don't want to have traffic restrictions on during this period.
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The Council have explained that they are regularly being asked to remove the traffic management without further delay, which they say they would like to do, however it's not simply a case of removing the traffic lights and cones. As users of the bridge will have seen, there are heavy concrete 'crash' barriers on the bridge deck, and these need to be loaded onto a HGV to take them away. For the Council to do that work, they have to close Boothferry Bridge. Additionally, in order to make the carriageway safe for use as two lanes across the bridge, they will need to install cat's eyes, replace the white lines, patch, and fill inspection holes. All of this needs to be carried out under a road closure.
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Unfortunately, whilst Junction 37 is closed, a road closure over Boothferry Bridge to allow them to complete these works cannot be granted, as the diversion for all vehicles, including emergency vehicles, from Goole to Howden, for example, would be via Junction 38 at North Cave, or the A63 east of Selby, which is considered too great.
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National Highways are hopeful they can re-open Junction 37 during the first full week of July (this is planned from the evening of Wednesday 6 July). The Council inform me that this means they could be in a position to close Boothferry Bridge towards the end of the second week of July 2022, in order to complete the carriageway works and restore the bridge to two lanes, allowing them to remove the traffic management.
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The Council assure me that they are liaising with National Highways, their contractor, their sub-contractors, and all other stakeholders to resolve the logistics, to allow them to complete the remaining works on Boothferry Bridge as soon as possible.
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Andrew adds, "I will continue keep the pressure up on the Council regarding these works and be sure to keep residents updated on further developments."
