Unexpected overnight closures on ring road cause confusion for motorists

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A further seven closures are expected



Motorists are being warned of partial ring road closures for the overrunning viaduct works.

Overnight closures have already taken place on the stretch between Foleshill Road and London Road but there were no advance warnings for drivers.

There are now a further seven overnight closures for the Swanswell Viaduct stretch in June and July.

Repairs to the Swanswell Viaduct started last June, and were due to finish in the spring.

However, signs have now been put up to say slip roads will be closed until the end of July.

The work being carried out between junctions one and three is the largest since the ring road was first built.

The overnight closures will be taking place throughout June and early July.

Motorists have experienced diversions from 8pm on some nights already when the ring road closed for night-time works.

The only sign they had was a diversion sign on the roundabout approaching junction one, to send them the other way round the ring road.

June

• Friday June 22
  
• Saturday June 23
  
• Monday June 25: Junction two clockwise
  
• Tuesday June 26: Junction two anti-clockwise

July

• Monday July 2: Full junction three closure
  
• Tuesday July 3: Full junction three closure
  
• Wednesday July 4: Full junction three closure

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These are the answers Coventry City Council gave to us about the cost of overrunning ring road works



CoventryLive first reported that works to the stretch known as the Swanswell Viaduct started last June and would continue for nine months.

Work was set to be completed Spring 2018, however, this was then put back to early June - nearly 12 months of misery for motorists.

Coventry City Council told us back in March that the work WOULD be completed in time for MotoFest - on June 2.

However this was not the case, and slip road closure signs leading from Sky Blue Way, were changed to say July 2018.

The urgency of the work was underlined in a cabinet report which said: “Further deterioration of the structure could result in a closure or having lane closures or weight restrictions applied between junctions one and four, causing significant congestion across the city.”

Coventry City Council have revealed how overrunning works in the ring road have been paid for - but some questions remain unanswered.

More than £6million was allocated to repair the stretch known as the Swanswell Viaduct between junctions one (Foleshill Road) and junction three (Sky Blue Way/Gosford Street).

This first phase of work has been upgrading the parapets and replacing the existing waterproofing, surfacing, movement joints and fascia panels.

A council spokesperson said: “Sections of our ring road are over 50 years old.

"These works are the first time we’ve carried out renovations to the very bones of the structure. Until we started to dig there was no way of knowing the exact scale of the work required.

“Whilst we found the condition of the structure is better than anticipated, it is important we take the opportunity to do all the repairs we can during this time.

"This means less disruption for motorists, and lower costs, in the longer run.

“We expect the work to be completed next month.

“The cost of the works have been largely funded by a Challenge Fund grant, and the cost of overrunning will be mainly covered by the Council’s contractor.”

CoventryLive asked if any of the cost of the overrun is being paid by taxpayers, and we also asked how much the overrunning work is costing.

Both of these questions are yet to be answered.

CoventryLive is waiting for a response on these questions.