News about motorways

Note from the county council:

You may have heard on the news that the Highways Agency have finally been
able to sign a contract with a consortia of contractors (Connect Plus) for
a massive construction and maintenance contract for the M25 and the “stubs
and tails” of radial motorways including the M1 and A1(m) in Hertfordshire.
The contract is worth £6.2 billion and lasts for 30 years

The contract includes all the widening works that we have been hearing
about on these motorways, tunnel refurbishments and on going maintenance

In particular in Hertfordshire, the M25 widening between J16 (M40) and J23
(A1(m)) and A1(m) Hatfield Tunnel refurbishment are now free to commence

We will share more detail as we get it but I have just heard that:

* the traffic management on the M25 between J 16 (M40) and J 18
Chorleywood will start to go in from midnight on Tuesday 26/5/06. There
will still be three lanes in each direction and a 50 mph limit will be
introduced to be enforced by average speed cameras

* the traffic management on the A1(m) for the Hatfield Tunnel works will
start to go in at midnight on 1/6/09, initially this will be two lanes
on each carriageway and will change to two lane contraflow after 2-3
months. Both junctions 3 and 4 will remain open. There will be a 40 mph
limit in place enforced by average speed cameras

In addition, I have just been made aware that there will be a contraflow on
the A1(m) in the vicinity of J9 (Letchworth Gate) to facilitate repairs to
bridge joints. This will be in place from September to December 2009. There
will be a 50 mph speed limit enforced by average speed cameras.

Highways works scheduled for July

I am told these works will take place in July.

Old London Road: the speed humps are a problem and will be patched.
The bell mouth at junction with Alma Cut needs attention
Hart and Pageant: White Hart Tap deliveries have smashed pavement. So a different material will be used for the pavement. All of the broken slabs happened before the CPZ was introduced. Now virtually no-one parks on pavements – and so repairs can be justified for these pavements. These will be slabs except for cross overs (which will be black top).
Grosvenor Road: there will be patching for the end not done previously. The bad footway near Ardentinny will also be done.

Chris to chair City Forum

I will be chairing the District Council’s City Forum, the body which concentrates on issues affecting the ‘parish’ of St Albans ie the part of the district not covered by a parish council.

This is going to be an interesting challenge. There are some key issues coming through: the City Vision project, the Local Development Framework and the nature of the street scene. And we can’t get away from the fact that there is a crisis in some of the services provided by other institutions – not least the lack of primary school places in central St Albans and the effective failure of the secondary admissions system.

BBC to highlight St Albans road mess

The BBC has been in town filming the state of the roads and talking to me about how the Liberal Democrats might change things in relation to the operation of Herts Highways. I was able to show them Lemsford Road (voted worst road in the division by local people) and Granville Road, which is disintegrating into gravel.

It appears that the Conservatives in county hall are now alleging that Hertfordshire has more traffic than anywhere else in the country, which might amuse Londoners and indeed people in many other places.

The BBC will be broadcasting the interview on 2 June.
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Chris and Sandy in Lemsford Road last week

Blue blocks causing concern

Blue block pavements throughout the division have been neglected by the county council. I have recently drawn their attention to two sections:
Avenue Road and Grimston Road

Both need completely relaying. I have not received any assurances that this will happen.

Ridgmont Road and Bedford Road: highways update

Ridgmont Road: both carriageway and footway are disintegrating: footway repairs are about to happen on the east side but there is inadequate funding for both sides to be mended.

Bedford Road footways: these will be repaired as part of local discretionary funding this year. The collapsed section is going to be reconstructed down to a depth of 20 cm: this will take a week.

it would appear that the black bin collections are now being made without a large vehicle entering the street and damaging the pavements. The green bin collections present a different problems and Herts Highways and the district council are negotiating.

Pizza Hut appeal (London Road) dismissed by planning inspector

Local residents will be delighted to hear that this appeal against the refusal of planning permission by the district council has been turned down by the planning inspector.

In summary he says: ‘the development would add unacceptably to highways dangers and the vacant and unused first floor would conflict both with local plan policy for the area and Government guidance.’

FIX 5: VULNERABLE IN COUNTY STILL AT RISK FROM ADULT CARE SERVICES

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The County Council has once again admitted that local residents are still at risk of being let down by key aspects of adult care services and that current pressures make improvements difficult. Papers discussed by county councillors today revealed that the county’s risk register shows as of high concern (red) that:

– the reinspection of its already ‘poor’ supporting people programme is likely to show a lack of improvement
– that it is ‘possible’ that the council will be unable to make sustained performance improvements because of an ‘increased demand’ for services.

Cllr Allan Witherick, spokesperson on adult care services, commented:
‘This shows yet again that the council is failing in one of its key services. It should have planned for an increase in demand and should have made headway in improving its performance in the supporting people programme.

‘More worrying is that fact that the risk is seen more one of reputation and litigation than the risk that key vulnerable sections of the population will not get the care that they are entitled to.’