Tail backs on side roads around Addiscombe have blighted the neighbourhood for the last week
The roadworks in Addiscombe which have caused traffic chaos for more than a week will continue at least for an additional seven days.
Transport for London shut down the tram network from East Croydon to Beckenham and New Addington on August 23, and closed the A232 Addiscombe Road for co-ordinated major works while engineering work towards the completion of the strengthening of the Blackhorse Lane Bridge was undertaken.
The works were all meant to be completed by this weekend, in time for the first school runs of the new term this week.
But although a normal tram service is expected to resume on Monday morning, TfL has updated its website to indicate that the road closures on the A232 in the Sandilands, Addiscombe and Shirley area will now continue for a further week, under September 9.
Local buses will continue to be on diversion:
- Routes 119, 194 and 198 will not serve Addiscombe Road in either direction. Instead, they will divert via Shirley Road, Lower Addiscombe Road and Cherry Orchard Road.
- Route 466 will not serve Shirley Hills Road, Upper Shirley Road or Addiscombe Road. Instead it will divert via Coombe Lane, Coombe Road and Park Hill Road.
The Addiscombe Road this morning, empty of traffic, or any workmen
In a statement, TfL said that the delays are “due to circumstances not in our control”.
“Please be assured we are working with the utilities companies and the London Borough of Croydon to return the road network to normal as soon as we are able to,” a TfL spokeswoman said this morning.
The past week has been one of traffic misery for those living on the residential side streets off the Addiscombe Road, and they are feeling badly let down by TfL over their failure to complete their works within their own timetable.
Some residents were given an update yesterday evening by TfL that said the road would be closed “until further notice”.
“We are delivering letters to residents in the road closure area today to make them aware of this situation,” TfL said.
According to TfL, the dleay was “caused by the discovery of a gas leak in the area prior to the start of work on Friday August 23. For safety reasons this prevented our work from starting until the utility had been repaired. We had hoped to be able to recover the time with additional machinery and resources, but it is now clear this will not be possible.
“Further to this, while carrying out work a pre-existing water main leak was discovered on Wednesday August 28.” TfL were expecting Thames Water to repair this yesterday, “but this is why we are unable to confirm the end date for the road closure at this stage”.
The on-going road closures are:
• A232 Chepstow Road remains closed between its junctions with Addiscombe Road, Radcliffe Road and Clyde Road
• A232 Addiscombe Road remains closed at its junctions with Sandilands in the south and Ashburton Road in the north
• Through traffic is diverted via A212 Cherry Orchard Road, Lower Addiscombe Road and Shirley Road in the north, and via Park Hill and Coombe Lane in the south
• Temporary traffic lights will control left turning traffic, one-way only from Clyde Road to Addiscombe Road
• Ashburton Road will operate two-way instead of one-way
• Oaks Road in Shirley will temporarily operate one-way only, eastbound from Coombe Wood towards Upper Shirley Road. It will not be possible to enter Oaks Road from Upper Shirley Road
• Pedestrian and cyclist access will continue to be maintained at all times
• Diversion route signs will remain in place
“Going to be a lot more congestion on Lower Addiscombe Road… schools are back next week,” one frustrated resident noted on social media.
Others are losing patience. “We could understand it if all the works were being done with any urgency,” said one, “but there’s not a workman to be seen this morning. Closing such a major road for more than two weeks might be the convenient solution for TfL, but it has caused nothing but chaos and misery for locals.”
Click here for the original TfL notice and details of the closures.
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