Work is to start in August to reconstruct a city centre road in Bath and reduce the need for future maintenance.
The road structure on North Parade has crumbled over a long period of time and now needs to be reconstructed. This will take place in three phases with the first taking place in August and the second and third from mid- September to early October.
In order support the Tour of Britain event on 8 September, work will be temporarily suspended between phase one and the latter phases. This will also minimise disruption to work taking place at Bath Recreation Ground and Bath Sports and Leisure Centre.
Access to the recreation ground, leisure centre and Bath Cricket Club will be maintained throughout the three phases, and access to Bath Magistrates Court will be available via Pulteney Road when the works prevent access from North Parade.
Councillor Anthony Clarke (Conservative, Lansdown), Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “The Council has carried out patch repairs to North Parade over the last few years but the lower levels of the road surface are now in desperate need of repair. We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these essential repair works, and would to thank residents in advance for their patience whilst this work takes place.
“It is clearly better to take preventative action now than to allow the road to deteriorate further and cause greater long term disruption. By completely reconstructing the road this will minimise the need for further repairs for many years to come, thereby reducing long-term costs and future disruption. Highways officers have also worked to produce a plan which minimises the impact during the Tour of Britain visit and which will allow continued access to the recreation ground, leisure centre and Bath Cricket Club during the work.”
The Council is adopting a joined-up approach by carrying out repair works on the balustrade to Parade Gardens that runs along North Parade while the road is closed for reconstruction. This work will be carried out during phases two and three of the programme and is likely to involve some use of the highway.
The road reconstruction work on North Parade will be carried out as follows, with diversion signs in place throughout:
Phase one: 1 – 21 August 2016
The section of North Parade from Pierrepont Street to the entrance to Bath Sports and Leisure Centre car park will be closed.
Work will be carried out between the river bridge and the entrance to the leisure centre.
Access for businesses between the Pierrepont Street and the river bridge will be maintained.
The remainder of North Parade will remain open for access.
Phase two: 11 – 25 September 2016
The section of North Parade from the entrance to Bath Sports and Leisure Centre to Bath Cricket Club entrance will be closed while work here is carried out.
Vehicle access to the leisure centre will be possible from the Pierrepont Street direction, while the cricket club will only be accessible by vehicle from the Pulteney Road direction.
Phase three: 26 September – 9 October 2016
The section of North Parade from the Bath Cricket Club entrance to Pulteney Road will be closed while work here is carried out.
Bath Sports and Leisure Centre and the cricket club will be accessible by vehicle from the Pierrepont Street direction.
Overnight work for final surfacing
The final layer of surfacing for the phase two and three sections of the road will be carried out at night in order to minimise disruption to the highway network, and will be timed to accommodate the requirements of the leisure centre and Pavilion. It is anticipated that the working hours will be from 11pm to 6am. This will be carried out immediately after phases two and three are complete. During this time there will be no road access available to premises off North Parade. It is expected that this will take up to three nights to complete, including the laying of the road markings. The majority of noisy works, such as drilling, will be carried out prior to the overnight period.
For more information, visit www.bathnes.gov.uk/northparade.
