£100m Norwich roundabout upgrade
Thickthorn junction on the A47 in Norwich upgrade has been given the green light by the Government. The planned new features include two new free-flowing connections with the A47 and A11 and re-route traffic away from the existing junction, change the existing roundabout at the junction, providing an additional lane for traffic, improved traffic signals and pedestrian crossings, construct a new road between Cantley Lane South and B1172 Norwich Road to allow continued access to the junction and provide a new footbridge crossing the A47 between Cantley Lane South and Cantley Lane to accommodate walkers, cyclists, horse riders and other vulnerable users
Galliford Try will start the £100m project later in 2022.
The new work will ease congestion and traffic and reduce journey times.
Clive on roads.org.uk said,
“This junction is indeed a catatrophic [sic] combination of bad planning and a failure to listen to road users. The slip road from the eastbound southern bypass means a tortuous journey through confusingly signed lights and roundabouts which, even if negotiated successfully, adds an additional two miles or so and at least 15 minutes if you are unreasonable enough to want to go back into the city (to get to Thorpe for instance). Countless lorries have found themselves back on the A47 heading back to Yarmouth, the direction from which they have have just come and who actually want to get into Norwich. I like many local people are utterly confused by this nightmare and have genuinely got lost trying to negotiate it. And as for the congestion and associated delays it causes at peak times – clearly those responsible for proposing and approving the ‘design’ knew that they would never have to use it themselves. It is an embarrassing shambles. Thank goodness the Road to Nowhere, which won’t join up to the A47 to the west of Norwich when completed, will not add any significant traffic to the junction.”
Thickthorn Junction Credit Mark Boyer via geograph.org.uk
Willmott Dixon seals deal for £70m Peterborough flats
315 new flats will be built by Wilmott Dixon in Peterborough after they retained the job when the site was sold to a new developer Cross Key Homes.
The £70m project includes a 10-story block with 1,2- and 3-bedroom homes plus 37 townhouses, commercial and retail space and improving the local Laxton Square public space.
Enabling works started in March 2022 and the project is due to complete in October 2024.
Leeds South Bank regeneration
Credit ukreiif
£500m investment in Leeds South Bank will transform the area and provide amenities to allow a doubling in size of Leeds
The latest plans to be submitted for approval are 1,350 build to rent apartments the Sweet Street development worth £500m.
The 8-acre development includes two office blocks, retail and leisure space.
New training crane at National Construction College
CITB Construction Industry Training Board has purchased a new 6023.8 Wolfkrann flat top tower crane for the Bircham Newton. This will allow apprentices and trainees to learn on one of the most popular cranes.
This crane is one of the largest flat top roof cranes and is designed to work in tight spaces for example inner city sites. It has a maximum load capacity of 8.5 tonnes and a jib radius of 60 metres.
£500m flats for sensitive site in Kensington
Credit SevenCapital
100 West Cromwell Road will transform the existing car park into 7 new buildings up to 29 stories in height and include 462 units of which 145 are to be affordable. It will also include commercial, green space, public amenities and car parking.
The development, a JV between SevenCapital and MARK, will be the tallest tower in Kensington.
Stevenage overhead lines refurb
Credit National Grid
National Grid and Morrison Energy workers have been working at height of up to 50m to refurbish overhead lines between Stevenage and Lincoln.
The £130m project will maintain 170km of electricity lines starting from Cottam Power Station in March by replacing 1960s wires with 1,440km of new wires.
The second phase to begin next year will install 1,670km of new lines.
The complex and dangerous work involved climbing and surveying 248 pylons. The completed work will strengthen grid infrastructure between Lincolnshire to Hertfordshire.
Derwent dams to increase capacity
Severn Trent Water is considering options to increase capacity of Ladybower, Howden and Derwent reservoirs in the Upper Derwent Valley which supply water to Sheffield, Derby, Nottingham and Leicester. The three dams are the largest area of open water in the Derbyshire & Peak Districts with a combined capacity of 46bn litres and were constructed from 1901 to 1935.
A feasibility plan is expected to be created for 2023 with local charities expressing concern about damage to the ecologically sensitive surrounds that would be associated with capacity increase.