What's going on with Pitsea flyover? (From Echo)

What's going on with Pitsea flyover?

9:00pm Monday 16th November 2009

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(6)

THE Pitsea flyover has often been the bane of south Essex commuters.

Beset by phase after phase of repair work, the infamous leaky bridge has received millions of pounds of investment from Essex County Council and the Government.

Now into its fifth phase of work, another £2million of taxpayers’ cash is being spent on maintaining the structure that towers over the Basildon suburb.

But somewhere, the plans for the flyover – which carries around 56,000 motorists a day – have gone awry.

The first two phases of repair work, carried out between 2004 and 2006, were originally planned to cost in the region of £8million and aimed to tackle the water damage and deterioration of the road.

The surface of the Southmayne feeder road was stripped and the surface was waterproofed, the road’s joints were replaced as was the edge of the flyover’s deck and its parapet.

But despite going over budget and a six-month delay to the roadworks’ completion, just days after it was finished, water was still leaking through the bridge.

The county council admitted work to the 30-year-old flyover was not finished and vital work on its pillars had to be carried out in another third phase.

Keith Bobbin, a Basildon Council ward member for Pitsea North West, was first to raise the issue as a county councillor.

He said: “When I heard about the leaks, we left a car under the flyover and you could hear the drips of water falling on to it.

“I reported it. Apparently they couldn’t find the original plans, so they did what they thought would repair it, but it wasn’t right.

“They finally found the plans and that the water was dripping down the pillars. They used to just surface the top of the road, not realising the water was going down the concrete.

“Now it’s been five years and it still isn’t fixed. It’s been a complete fiasco from the beginning.”

A third phase of work started in August 2007, reported at an estimated cost of £230,000, which was hoped to sort out the problems, but there have since been two more phases.

The latest round of repairs has seen the county council pay the firm Concrete Repairs to fix 15 of the flyover’s 54 concrete supports.

On top of the cost of building work, Tesco will be paid £265,000 to allow workmen to use the car park of its huge Extra store nearby during the 43-week programme.

While the county council is trying to end the problems plaguing the flyover, the thought of more major repairs is something that daunts many residents and businesses.

Dave Blackwell, chairman of the Basildon Taxi Association, said the old works had caused major problems to drivers, even when they were carried out at night.

He added: “The biggest problem is when they divert traffic and you can’t get on to the A13, because it means you have to go the long way round and through residential areas, which causes more problems.

“I doubt residents like it either and it especially causes problems for us at night.”

There have also been calls for the council’s approach to the roadworks to be investigated.

Basildon MP Angela Smith believes an independent Audit Commission enquiry, looking into whether the council had spent money wisely on the scheme, is warranted.

Mrs Smith said: “It’s been an absolute shambles. How much money has been wasted in not solving the problem?”

Michael Page, Essex County Council spokesman, said: “The original estimated cost of works to the flyover was £8.4million. However, this was based on early drawings which were subsequently found to be incorrect.

“As is common practice with schemes of this kind, the work has been allocated into phases which coincide with the allocation of funding from the Department for Transport.

“There have been four phases of work so far and a total of seven phases are expected. Phase five will be commencing shortly and will last for approximately ten months.

“Unfortunately, we cannot supply the cost of the works as the current contract is commercially sensitive.

“As we have explained previously, the structure of the flyover was originally built by Basildon Development Corporation and in the Seventies its ownership was transferred to ECC with a complete set of drawings.

“We have since found out the flyover was not built exactly to the design shown on the drawings. Therefore some problems have been encountered where the design has proven to be different to that expected.

“We will, however, continue to overcome these difficulties in order to progress this much needed work.”

• Print
• Email
• Share
• Comments(6)