READER LETTER: A different approach to the hospital highway

Tuesday 09 February 2021

A reader has suggested an elevated highway as an alternative to the approved hospital highway route through Westmount.

After sharing his alternative vision for a hospital design sitting on the Inner Road, Tony O'Halloran has now turned his attention to creating an alternative access road to Overdale...

"It is well understood that we need a better access roadway for Overdale. The current scheme as intended has been widely recognised in containing many more issues than originally or never considered until questions of late have exposed.

Pictured: Tony O'Halloran's vision for a future hospital.

We are advised that exhaustive tests have been undertaken to establish some 72 possible options. I cannot understand why this option was not considered or put forward, as it is, as I have shown, quite feasible.

Under my proposal, The lower Westmount existing road would go to a T junction at the bad bend near to the Battle of Jersey Assembly site. The Statue of Queen Victoria could also be re-situated at the centre of a new purpose-built roundabout.

I believe this new idea has merit, as it would:

1. reduce travel time to the new hospital at Overdale;
2. provide easier access from east and west of the island;
3. reduce environmental impact;
4. cause fewer planning issues;
5. negate losing the parking areas of People's Park;
6. cause less impact on town traffic during construction as opposed to Pierson/People's Park roadways as planned;
7. take the noise of traffic/ambulances and pollution further away from residents neighbouring Westmount and People's Park;
8. minimise issues with Gallows Hill and the Battle of Jersey historical sites;
9. reduces the carbon footprint of travel to the hospital;
10. and involve minimal purchase of Parish lands and the saving of many trees, while the Jersey Bowling Club could also remain.

My only issue is that the costs are something I cannot establish at this time, although I am sure our Government could assess this fairly easily.

Pictured: Tony's vision includes the creation of a new roundabout.

Currently, we have £15m in the pot for the road access proposal. There are numerous other long-term costs to be taken into account that need to be measured, such as travel energy use, road maintenance, people's journey times, and, above all, emergency response and delivery times – all these elements have a true life cost to our economy.

I do apologise for the simplistic visual of my idea - my access to design software is limited, but I hope the visual impressions provided will help all to understand my proposal better than pages of words.

Tony O'Halloran"

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