PENDLETON WAY - ROUTE SAFETY REVIEW PLANNED

I am pleased to report that Cheshire East Highways are currently carrying out a route safety review on the A34, from the junction with Wilmslow Road (Pendleton Way) to Handforth Dean (Ainslie Way). As part of the review, officers will be taking into account a range of information, including:

(i) Recorded Personal Injury Collision Data (provided by Cheshire Constabulary)

(ii) Speed Data and Traffic Flow data from Tracsis surveys (carried out in 2022by CE Highways)

(iii) Carriageway condition data provided by Cheshire East Assets Team

The aim of the review is to highlight any particular sections of road safety concern along the route and to suggest potential mitigation measures that could be implemented to resolve those issues. A report will then be used to justify mitigation measures, subject to obtaining the required funding. 

A number of other routes and locations are currently being reviewed within Cheshire East.

20 MPH ZONE FINAL DESIGNS PUBLISHED

Following the recent installation of acoustic cameras on Pendleton Way, a number of residents have contacted me to seek an update on the implementation of the 20mph zone in the village centre.

I am pleased to report that I have now received the detailed designs for the scheme, which includes the installation of six speed tables at the following locations: at the pelican crossing outside Alderley Edge School for Girls, at the pelican crossing near “Running Bear” on London Road, at the pelican crossing between Stevens Street & Brown Street on London Road, adjacent to the de Trafford Arms on Congleton Road, at the pelican crossing near Alderley Edge Community Primary School on Ryleys Lane and near the entrance to The Ryleys School.

In addition, red textured road surfacing will be added with 20mph roundels painted on the road surface at the railway bridge on Wilmslow Road/London Road, as well as on Congleton Road on the approach to the junction with Beechfield Road. Cheshire East Highways will shortly be applying to Cheshire East Council for a road closure permit, which must be advertised for 12 weeks prior to the scheme's implementation. 

The scheme itself is estimated to take four weeks to implement, with the installation estimated for early February 2023. The scheme is being funded through s.106 contributions raised on historic developments in Alderley Edge, rather than through Council Tax; As a reminder, s.106 funds may only be spent on new or upgraded infrastructure and cannot be used to fund routine maintenance.

CHELFORD ROAD CLOSURE IN PLACE FOR SIX WEEKS

As residents may have noticed, Chelford Road is currently closed from the junction with Chorley Hall Lane (Alderley Edge) to the junction with Foden Lane (Chorley). The closure is expected to be in place for up to six weeks and will enable essential works to be carried out to the culvert outside Tanyard Farm.

Tanyard (Smokers Brook) is a mortared masonry arch culvert. An inspection carried out in November 2020 showed that the structure had deteriorated since the last inspection in 2018 with the north elevation, where the arch ring had separated to greater than 25mm, also a large longitudinal fracture was identified. The inspection also highlighted a lack of mortar in the joints throughout the arch barrel.

The works involve taking down the northern headwall (including 1m of the arch) and rebuilding, repointing the southern headwall and entire arch barrel. Whilst the road closure is in place, Cheshire East Highways' maintenance team will be removing the build-up of debris that has accumulated on the footway, to ensure the full width can be used. The works are estimated to be complete within six weeks.

SATURDAY OPENING RETURNS AT ALDERLEY EDGE LIBRARY

I am pleased to share with residents the welcome news that from Saturday 1st October, Alderley Edge Library will once again be open between the hours of 09.30 and 13.00.

The Library Service has been beset by staffing issues since Alderley Edge Library was initially forced to close due to the pandemic, losing three members of staff in quick succession (one to retirement, one to ill health and another to alternative employment). It has taken some time to recruit and train new members of staff, but I am delighted to confirm that we are now up to a full complement once more.

In addition to opening between the hours of 09.30 and 17.00 on Tuesdays, Wednesdays & Thursdays, the return of Saturday mornings means that Alderley Edge Library is now back up to the pre-pandemic opening of 25 hours per week. The Library continues to be staffed with the help of local volunteers on Tuesday afternoons, when a range of alternative activities are also available.

To celebrate the return of Saturday mornings, I have changed my regular Community Surgery from the last Saturday in September to the first Saturday in October. I would therefore like to welcome residents who would like to discuss any community issue, to join me for a cuppa on Saturday 1st October anytime between 11am and 12noon.

CONGLETON ROAD REPAIR WORKS UNDERWAY

Earlier today, acting in my capacity as Chair of Cheshire East Council's Highways & Transport Committee, I took the opportunity to inspect repairs that are currently being carried out on Congleton Road, Nether Alderley. The Level 2 patching works, which began yesterday and are due to be completed tomorrow, were due to be carried out during the fourth quarter of 2022/23, but have been brought forward.

The additional £7m investment we are making as a Council this year has enabled these much overdue works to be carried out earlier than was originally programmed. A section of Congleton Road, from the junction with Whitebarn Road in Alderley Edge, to the junction with Church Lane in Nether Alderley, is benefitting from carriageway patching works at a cost of approximately £100,000.

The Site Manager explained to me that the contractor, Eurovia, are planing off, removing and relaying approximately 100 tonnes of tarmac during each of the three days over which the works are being completed. The intention is to carry out Level 2 carriageway patching during the current financial year and then to follow this up with Level 3 surface dressing, next year.

Level 3 surface dressing was recently applied to Macclesfield Road in Alderley Edge and the intention is for the same treatment to be applied to Congleton Road (from the de Trafford Arms in Alderley Edge, to the junction with Melrose Way in Nether Alderley) during the 2023/24 financial year. Unfortunately, due to cost pressures, it is not possible to carry out both jobs in the same financial year.

 

ADDED INVESTMENT IN LOCAL ROAD REPAIRS IN CONTEXT

As I'm sure many of you will already be aware, this week Cheshire East Highways have been carrying out surface dressing on Macclesfield Road (from the junction with Congleton Road in the village, to the junction with Birtles Lane in Over Alderley). I'm also sure you will agree that the result is a much improved road surface and driving experience.

Earlier this year, I reported that in addition to the £15m it receives as a grant from central government towards road repairs, Cheshire East Council had taken the decision to borrow and invest a further £7m this year to try and tackle the problem of our crumbling road infrastructure. £22m certainly sounds like a lot of money and so you might wonder why it is that all our roads aren't suddenly perfect.

Whilst the team were on site this week, I took the opportunity to ask the site manager two questions: (i) the extent of the works in square metres covered; and (ii) how much the project had cost the Council. His response was a staggering £328,386 and I thought residents would be interested to know what this entails: 

- traffic management, including road closures

- surface dressing (25,623 square metres, including materials)

- lining (replacing like for like)

- gully emptying (sweeping and emptying approximately 100 gullies)

This certainly helps to put that £22m in context. Clearly the work carried out on Macclesfield Road will vary from other projects across the borough, both in terms of length, traffic management and volume of materials used; however, if we assume that Macclesfield Road is an average sized project, the £22m will only fund 67 similar types of road repair project across the borough. Given that Cheshire East Highways manages 2,700km of road network, it's a sobering thought!