A new traffic lane on a main road through Bradley Stoke is having to be resurfaced less than three years after it was created due to substandard materials being used in its construction.
What is now the southbound lane of Bradley Stoke Way between Patchway Brook Roundabout (near Aldi) and Savages Wood Roundabout (near the leisure centre) was created as part the MetroBus project by taking land from the adjacent verge. It received its final surfacing in September 2016 after which it was brought into service for general traffic.
But on Tuesday last week (21st May), South Gloucestershire Council announced on its StreetCare Facebook page that it would be closing the aforementioned stretch of road overnight for five nights from Monday 27th May “to carry out carriageway resurfacing”.
The post attracted a torrent of comments with people demanding to know why “the best road in Bradley Stoke” and “the only road in the area without potholes” should need resurfacing.
The council replied with the comment:
“The closure is for remedial works – we need to carry out investigations as we have detected defects underneath the carriageway which can cause potholes and other problems on the road surface,”
which only led to further questions asking why other roads in the area which already have potholes haven’t been repaired.
In reply to an enquiry from the Journal, an SGC spokesperson explained further:
“This is MetroBus remedial work that is being carried out at no cost to South Gloucestershire Council. The contractor used the incorrect material specification for the stone mastic asphalt (SMA) which would result in a reduced life span of the surface.”
Asked if the issue might affect other stretches of road created during the MetroBus project, the spokesperson added:
“The issue of incorrect material being used during the MetroBus work applies only to the southbound section that is being resurfaced this week.”
Although the council’s Facebook post stated that overnight road closures would take place on five nights from Monday (27th May), signage on site gave a different message, stating that it would be for just two days starting Tuesday (28th May). Work duly took place on Tuesday and Wednesday nights, but the on-site signage has now been altered to indicate that the road will also be closed tonight (Thursday 30th May) as well.
An SGC spokesperson told the Journal:
“We can confirm that an overnight closure of Bradley Stoke Way (southbound) will be taking place this evening to complete the white lining of the new surface.”
Although the road closures are advertised as starting at 8pm, several comments on social media claimed they had been put in place from 7pm on Wednesday (29th May). There were also complaints about noise levels, presumably originating from the road surface milling (removal) machinery.
Photos: 1 Remedial resurfacing work on Wednesday 29th May 2019. 2 Road sign advertising overnight road closures in May 2019. 3 The new southbound lane constructed on Bradley Stoke Way, pictured in September 2016.
