CERTAIN stretches of road around the long-closed Gallows Corner will finally reopen this weekend reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
From Sunday (10th May), motorists will be able to drive down Straight Road and Main Road in both directions, and head eastbound from the roundabout to A12 Colchester Road.
The flyover will also be open eastbound from A12 Eastern Avenue to A127 Southend Arterial Road.
The flyover will remain closed westbound, and the A12 southbound will remain bus-only, to allow water works to “continue safely and to help manage traffic in the area,” Transport for London (TfL) says.
Gallows Corner was meant to reopen on 30th April but it was delayed by last-minute water works identified by Essex and Suffolk Water (ESW).
Work began on replacing the ageing flyover and repairing the busy roundabout in March last year. The first reopening date was set for September but progress was marred by similar delays.
No new timeline for reopening is in place, leading Havering Council to deride the long-running project a “farce”.
Scott Haxton, Transport for London’s (TfL) director of capital delivery, said today (7th May): “All significant planned TfL and ESW works at Gallows Corner have been completed and we have been urgently working on a plan to partially reopen parts of the road network.
“Having completed extensive technical and safety checks, we expect to reopen sections of the road network to general traffic from Sunday, 10th May.”
TfL previously said it was “very sorry” for the delays and Haxton today reiterated the transport body’s gratitude for motorists’ patience.
He said: “We know how frustrating this situation continues to be for local residents, businesses and road users, and we would like to thank everyone for their patience while we have been working with ESW to safely progress this work.
“We remain focused on fully reopening the road network at Gallows Corner and supporting ESW to complete final testing and commissioning works as quickly and safely as possible, while protecting vital water supplies.”
Havering’s chief executive Andrew Blake-Herbert said last week: “Considering the closure was only supposed to last a few months, it has now become a bit of a farce.
“It’s clear that ESW grossly underestimated the time their works would take and failed to factor in adequate time for testing the new water pipes, and it’s Havering residents and businesses who continue to pay the price for their failure.”
