Croydon is about to get a taste of the sort of traffic chaos and disruption which may await once the Hammersfield development gets underway – if it ever does – when the town centre is closed down for 10 days over Easter for repairs to the tram tracks.

TfL is closing a stretch of the busy Wellesley Road for 10 days over Easter

The work, being undertaken for Transport for London, will shut down Wellesley Road for more than a week, but will not involve any new track for the Dingwall Road loop, which TfL has promised to build as part of the “improvements” to the transport infrastructure to be imposed on Croydon once Westfield and Hammerson actually begin to build their £1.4billion supermall.

“Given the length of the closures and the disruption it will cause to bus and tram passengers, as well as car drivers, plus the expense, you do wonder whether TfL really has to carry this work out now, rather than wait until they start to build the Dingwall Road tram loop,” a Town Hall source told Inside Croydon.

Local environmental campaigners, though, are considering using the 10-day traffic-free period to carry out air quality tests in the town centre, to demonstrate the difference in pollution levels without the usual heavy volume of motor vehicles.

Wellesley Road will be closed southbound between Station Road and George Street from the early hours of April 8 until April 18, while there will also be closures on the tram network. Diversions are being arranged by TfL, who say that the closures will affect 15 different bus routes.

TfL’s map of the road closures and resulting diversions

“London Trams are undertaking essential maintenance of the tracks on the road network along Wellesley Road,” TfL said on its website.

“This will happen at the same time as utility works by Thames Water and Southern Gas Networks. By co-ordinating the works to happen at the same time, we will reduce the need for more closures at a later date.

“These works are happening over the Easter holidays as traffic is typically lighter during this time.”

For TfL’s full details of the road closures and public transport affected, including any updates during the works, click here.

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