Select a region
The Constable of Trinity has said that the benefits of seven months of roadworks outside the parish’s first-time-buyer homes will be worth the current inconvenience to road users.
Some islanders have questioned why the parish-funded work to build a retaining wall in Rue es Picots is taking 33 weeks, but Philip Le Sueur said that the work was significant and complex.
The £600,000 project is to stabilise the bank beneath the new homes in Le Grand Clos opposite the Trinity Arms.
Traffic along the main road is unaffected westbound, but eastbound traffic is diverted along Rue de la Petite Falaise to the top of Bouley Bay Hill and back up Route de Bouley.
Traffic cannot travel in the opposite direction along these roads.
Mr Le Sueur said: “We went out to tender to four separate contractors for this project and of the three tenders we received back, the construction periods offered were 30, 32 and 37 working weeks.
“The reason for the 33 weeks is taking account of the two-week closedown at Christmas and one at Easter.”
“The structural engineers’ design requires the retaining wall to be constructed in short 2m-wide sections leaving a substantial amount of the earth bank in place to avoid a collapse.
“Then, working sequentially, the remaining 2m sections are excavated in turn once the initial section of concrete retaining wall has been constructed and the concrete allowed sufficient time to cure and gain the appropriate strength, which I would imagine is going to be around 21 days per bay.
“[The contractors] are not working one section at a time but are trying to move multiple sections forward leaving sufficient gap between.
“Once the complete wall has been constructed, or certainly a large percentage of it, then the stonemasons will arrive and construct the granite facing. Considering that this wall will be taken to a height of not less than 1,100 mm above the existing high level footpath, it is a significant piece of work.”
Pictured: The bank along Rue es Picots became unstable after first-time-buyer homes were built in the field behind.
The Constable added: “Once the granite work is complete, then the roadside kerbs and formation of the public footpath can be completed, by which time I imagine we will be able to reopen the road.
“I fully appreciate that this work is causing some inconvenience and indeed it is of equal inconvenience to me because I personally live on the diverted traffic route.
“I console myself knowing that when this work is complete the public benefit in terms of improved pedestrian safety along this section of Rue es Picots will be a great advantage to the elderly residents from Maison Cabot, together with children from the new estate and wider public having safe pedestrian access to the church and the bus stop, and save them having to play chicken in the road with the traffic.
“This work is also hopefully the catalyst for the delivery of far wider ranging traffic calming and pedestrian measures through the village which will be delivered by the Department of Infrastructure, as the outturn from work of the Parish Project board and ongoing public engagement.
Pictured: Trinity Constable Philip Le Sueur has urged motorists to follow the diversion signs.
“I appreciate that it is an inconvenience but the public and pedestrian safety improvements that will be achieved far outweighs any short-term pain.”
Mr Le Sueur urged all motorists to follow the diversions and not go against them.
Most of the £600,000 cost is being funded by Trinity ratepayers, who approved the expenditure at an Assembly in July, but the parish is hoping for a small contribution from central government.
Comments
Comments on this story express the views of the commentator only, not Bailiwick Publishing. We are unable to guarantee the accuracy of any of those comments.