Cat Smith Working for Lancaster and Fleetwood
The 90-minute delays over Shard Bridge and queues back to Little Singleton lights are still fresh in the minds of residents, commuters and visitors in Wyre.
I remember that first Friday the new Skippool junction had the temporary lights switched on – I was caught in the middle of it for about an hour and missed a few meetings! That same day I asked them to fix the signalling, and they put it right.
Just last week, residents learned that the A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool bypass project completion date was to be delayed for around 6 months, due to “challenging and complex ground conditions between Garstang New Road and Mains Lane”.
I was concerned that these ground condition issues weren’t flagged up or factored in during the initial stages of the scoping plan, and that the cost of the project would over-run, with residents facing the doubly whammy of 6 months extra disruption – on top of over 3 years on highways projects here already – and more of their taxes being spent on the project.
I put this to National Highways last week, along with recently raising my concerns about the safety of Norcross roundabout.
Today, National Highways have confirmed that the project is £12m over budget.
Stewart Jones, North West Regional Delivery Director for National Highways told me: “The original scheme budget of £150m was based on an estimate from 2018 and since that time there has been considerable pressure on the economy and the construction industry. Our latest cost forecast is for the scheme to out-turn at £162m includes impact of the delays due to the challenging ground conditions.”
The true full benefit of the Windy Harbour bypass project and the Norcross roundabout upgrade is not yet known, but I remain sceptical that decision-makers and Ministers in London know what is best for our roads in Wyre.
One of the biggest questions that still remains for me is what is the benefit of increasing road capacity at either end of the busy single-lane stretch between Norcross and Skippool? This road regularly jams up, especially southbound. I’d be very happy to be proven wrong, as National Highways assure me that these upgrades will complement each other and will remove the bottlenecks.
We need more accountable local decision makers who know our area choosing how we design, build and upgrade our towns, not more power in Westminster.
This is why I’m proud of Labour’s plans in government to introduce a Take Back Control Bill which will grant regions new devolved powers over employment support, transport, energy, climate change, housing, culture, childcare provision and how councils run their finances – and will give communities a new right to request powers which go beyond even that.
Related links:
Windy Harbour Bypass Deadline Passes By
Cat Tells Highways: Fix Norcross Roundabout!
Success! 24 potholes Earmarked for Repair in Larkholme
Larkholme and Chatsworth Residents Deserve Better Roads!
Cat Demands LCC Action on Inglewood Close
Cat Raises (S)Light Delays on the A585
Cat Visits the A585 Windy Harbour to Skippool Bypass Site