Last week I went along to the site office on Sossmoss Lane again to be brought up to date with progress on the construction of the A34 Alderley Edge and Nether Alderley bypass, and the good news is the works are way ahead of schedule.
The main construction works started in February 2009 with the official completion date set for June 2011, but Birse Civils informed us "We are looking to open the new bypass before Christmas this year."
Dave Hill Project Director at Birse Civils said "The work on the structures on the A34 Bypass project is going well. By the end of May all the concrete decks to the 3 road bridges will have been concreted. This will allow the utilities, such as electricity, water, gas to be diverted over the new bridge structures.
"The travelling public will also be allowed to travel on the new bridges in July/August allowing the existing roads to be removed and the bypass to be taken below the new structures."
Dave Hill added "Whilst we have until June 2011 to complete the bypass, Birse and Cheshire East Council are working hard to complete the road as early as possible. Utility works and the weather can severely impact on the programme and these are by and large outside our control. However, we are hopeful that we can open the new road before the end of 2010.
"This will be a great achievement and we have our fingers crossed that we can deliver this."
The three mile route, which runs from the Harden roundabout and rejoins the existing A34 to the south of Nether Alderley village, will have cost £52 million, with the majority of the budget (£48.4m) funded by the Department of Transport.
See above for the most recent overhead photographs of the A34 bypass, which were taken on May 3rd. Click 'next photo' to scroll through or play the slideshow.
Birse Civils and Cheshire East Council will be organising a Bypass Fun Run (or walk) for local charities. The exact date is not yet known, as it will be just before the bypass is open to traffic, but we will keep you informed as the details are confirmed.
Anyone who has questions about the construction of the bypass can contact the site office on 01625 864900 or attend the weekly drop in information surgeries on a Wednesday from 9am-10.30am at the site office on Sossmoss Lane.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
I have one concern, which is the pedestrian crossing that has been installed just after the bypass begins. I appreciate that we need to cross this road, but a traffic light so close to the roundabout will cause traffic to back onto the roundabout and possibly cause accidents if people join the roundabout but do not see that cars are stopping.