Road users are being warned to expect off-peak temporary traffic lights on Hatchet Road for the next two weeks, as investigatory work in connection with the Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (CPME) scheme is carried out.

A statement on the CPME page of the Travelwest website states that the work involves digging temporary trial trenches to confirm the location of underground utilities.

South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) announced in April that the investigation would be carried out in late April or May, but  no work had taken place by the end of May.

The start date of the roadworks has now been confirmed for Monday 5th June. No explanation has been given for the delay.

A spokesperson for SGC said:

“We will need to close one lane at a time at particular points along Hatchet Road between the Gipsy Patch Lane roundabout and the Ratcliffe Drive roundabout. This will result in temporary traffic lights between 9.30am and 3.30pm on weekdays, avoiding peak traffic times.”

“Vehicles will still be able to travel in both directions but this will be controlled by the temporary traffic lights. We may also need to close particular bus stops for a short period of time when we are digging in close proximity to one. Please note all other bus stops on Hatchet Road will remain open for use at these times.”

A petition calling on South Gloucestershire Council (and the recently elected West of England ‘Metro Mayor’) to abandon the plan for a southbound bus lane along part of Hatchet Road as part of the CPME scheme recently passed the 3,000 signature mark. Opponents say the £2m cost of the bus lane cannot be justified by the minimal journey time savings it will achieve and they object to the “unnecessary destruction of mature trees and hedgerows along both sides of Hatchet Road”.

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Residents of the Stokes are being warned of roadworks due to take place on Hatchet Road in late April and May, in connection with the Cribbs Patchway MetroBus Extension (CPME) scheme.

An announcement on the CPME page of the Travelwest website states that the work involves digging temporary trial trenches to confirm the location of underground utilities.

The start date on Hatchet Road is dependent on another set of investigative work being completed on Gipsy Patch Lane (see link below). The work is also weather dependent.

Once work begins on Hatchet Road, there will be a  need to close one lane at a time in particular places along Hatchet Road between the Gipsy Patch Lane roundabout and the Ratcliffe Drive roundabout.  This will require temporary traffic lights between 9.30am and 3.30pm on weekdays.

The announcement stresses that vehicles will still be able to travel in both directions, but this will be controlled by the temporary traffic lights.

The work is expected to last for approximately two weeks. There may also be a need to close particular bus stops for a short period of time when contractors are digging close by. Other bus stops on Hatchet Road will remain open for use at these times.

A petition calling on South Gloucestershire Council (and the soon-to-be-elected West of England ‘Metro Mayor’) to abandon the plan for a southbound bus lane along part of Hatchet Road as part of the CPME scheme recently passed the 2,000 signature mark. Opponents say the £2m cost of the bus lane cannot be justified by the minimal journey time savings it will achieve and they object to the “unnecessary destruction of mature trees and hedgerows along both sides of Hatchet Road”.

• The imminent work on Gipsy Patch Lane will involve a temporary road closure at the railway bridge on three weekends. Read more…

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A 250m-long section of Station Road, in Little Stoke, is to be closed to through traffic for up to six months to facilitate the repair of a stretch of footway that has slipped into the adjacent brook.

The footway, just north of Patchway Station and opposite the Patchway Building Supplies compound, has been out of use for more than three years, and during this time has been fenced off with orange plastic barriers.

The work, which is expected to commence on Monday 11th July, is to be carried out by Alun Griffiths (Contractors) Ltd, working on behalf of South Gloucestershire Council.

This is the same firm that is currently undertaking the construction of the MetroBus project in Bradley Stoke and the Stoke Gifford Transport Link.

In a letter sent to businesses and residential properties in the immediate vicinity of the work, Griffiths state that the work will involve the construction of a ‘bored pile’ retaining wall over a length of 100m, along with the construction of a new footpath and carriageway reinstatement.

Jim Aitken, community liaison officer for Griffiths, writes in the letter:

“Unfortunately, in order for these works to be carried out, it will be necessary for a road closure with vehicular diversion to be implemented for the duration of the works.”

The road closure extends from a point just south of the entrance to the Sort It civic amenity site to a point just north of Patchway Station. The 100m work area is located towards the railway station end of the closed section.

Businesses in the area will be open as usual and there will be signs to emphasise this, but there will be no through access for traffic. Consequently, traffic heading for the Riverside Leisure Club and the Sort It centre must approach from the north, while Patchway Station will be reachable only from the south.

More: Detailed traffic management plan »

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An advertised eight-week closure of Little Stoke Lane, to install a series of traffic-calming ‘raised tables’, has caused confusion amongst local drivers and bus passengers.

The closure was advertised on the website roadworks.org yesterday (Sunday 3rd February) and yellow signs along the road confirm a closure of eight weeks, starting from today (Monday 4th February).

One bus passenger, writing on Twitter on Sunday evening, asked First Group about possible bus diversions during the closure:

@FirstBSA little stoke lane closed for 8 weeks from tomorrow, when were you planning on telling people where to catch their bus from??

— Craig Vowles (@craigthev) February 3, 2013

The fact that the work was likely to start today was reported last week in The Journal, subject to the scheme being given the go-ahead at a South Gloucestershire Council (SGC) Committee meeting on 30th January.

A team of contractors duly arrived this morning, and they were observed using mechanical excavators to remove one of the road narrowings near Little Stoke Primary School.

When The Journal asked South Gloucestershire Council for a statement on the road closure, we were told:

“This work will see new traffic calming measures implemented on Little Stoke Lane. Following discussion with representatives of the local community, we will be replacing the current priority narrowings of the road with speed tables, which are considered more effective in reducing traffic speeds and promoting safer driving.”

However, a statement put out by bus operator First Group on Twitter this morning suggests that the information on the yellow road signs might be misleading:

Bristol: Despite roadside signage to the contrary Little Stoke Lane, Little Stoke will not be fully closed until 25th March @kmb2009 SDM

— First Bristol Bath (@FirstBSA) February 4, 2013

UPDATE (5:15pm): An SCG spokesperson told The Journal: “Although the work has begun, the lane will be open for the whole duration up until the last week of March (w/c 25th March) when it will shut for one week for the speed tables to be installed.”

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