The flyover has been closed several times in the last fortnight, and locals have seen chunks of concrete and steel lying on the floor below it. Suggestions are that the 40 year old structure, that was supposed to be a temporary solution to the Army & Navy traffic bottleneck, may be reaching the end of its life.
This notice says that it will close from Monday 23rd July, for 21 days. The closure will be during the school summer holidays when traffic is always quietest, so this suggests a planned closure that was not previously announced, although it could be as a result of the reports on Essex Live that it was falling apart. GBENA’s Alex Nelson says that he will never use the flyover again, after seeing the damage to its structure.
[adinserter block=”3″]Information From Essex Highways
About the scheme:
The Army and Navy Flyover in Chelmsford carries one way traffic (cars only) from the A1060/A1114 over the Army and Navy roundabout. The direction of travel changes at different times of the day in a bid to support traffic flows, however the flyover is routinely closed overnight in both directions, seven days a week.
Routine inspections are undertaken to ensure the structure continues to remain safe for use.
Following an inspection of the structure, works were carried out in April 2018 to remove defective concrete.
Further maintenance is scheduled for the summer 2018 as outlined below.
We are also considering reducing the speed limit on the flyover on a permanent basis from 30mph to 20mph as an additional safety precaution.
The works:
The flyover will be temporarily closed 24 hours a day for approximately 3 weeks to undertake preventative maintenance:
- The flyover will close at 9pm on Monday 23 July 2018 and it is expected to remain fully closed until the works are complete.
- Temporary lane restrictions will be required on the Army and Navy roundabout approaches. These will apply overnight, between the hours of 9pm and 5am when works are carried out by the engineers when working above the carriageway.
- The flyover will also remain closed during the day time to allow some engineering works to take place over the roundabout and to allow materials to cure.
- A partial roundabout closure (in addition to the flyover closure) will be necessary for approximately 3 consecutive nights. Details will be advertised in advance on site signage and drivers will be required to use local alternative routes and diversions which will be in place during these periods.
- We anticipate the flyover will reopen to cars by 6am, Monday 13 August 2018. Drivers should however always check the flyover is open before use by observing approach and gantry signage.
We urge all users of the Army and Navy roundabout to take additional care during the works, allowing extra time, observing signage and traffic management in place.
Pedestrian accesses including the subway will be maintained during the works with on-site marshals available to escort through the works if needed.
Any changes to the programme will be reflected on local signage and this webpage.
Further information:
We aim to keep residents informed of the works by providing updates on this webpage, on site signage and the @essexhighways twitter feed.
For details about other roadworks in the area please visit: www.roadworks.org
How will Chelmsford cope with the flyover closure? Will you avoid the town, or find another route?