Another deadline missed for Sadlers Farm (From Southend Standard)
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Another deadline missed for Sadlers Farm
8:30am Tuesday 5th February 2013 in Echo News
Another deadline missed for Sadlers Farm
THE long-running saga of the £63million Sadlers Farm roadworks looks set to continue as contractors missed another deadline for the project – placing it 11 months behind schedule.
Thousands of motorists will have to endure up to three more weeks of disruption as contractors Birse Civil missed the final deadline for the project last week.
However, landscaping and additional works to subways may not be completed for several months.
It is the fifth deadline the company has missed since the project started in August 2010, causing misery for drivers who have been forced to endure hours of delays and ongoing road closures.
If the works overrun again to March, it will be a year behind since the project was first scheduled to finish in March 2012.
Bob Russell, 62, of High Road, Benfleet said: “These roadworks have been an ongoing farce for too long, it’s a joke. You just feel like no one is in control of this and no one is being held accountable for it.
“Since most of Sadlers has opened my journey times have been better, but we’re all just sick of having areas being coned off all the time, this bit shut and that bit shut. It’s time they started being fined for this and we got some of our taxpayers money back.”
An Essex County Council spokesperson said: “Sadlers Farm will be fully operational in two to three weeks following a slight delay due to recent adverse weather conditions. Any remaining works on the network will be completed as soon as possible after this, with work taking place off-peak and overnight to minimise any disruption.
“Targeted work will also take place in the coming months adjacent to the network, for example landscaping and planting, completion of works to subways, and accommodations works to adjacent landowners. These works will have little or no disruption to motorists.
“Essex County Council would like to sincerely apologise for the completion of this scheme taking longer than expected, and thank local residents for their continued patience."
Comments(12)
jayman
says...
9:30am Tue 5 Feb 13
'seen you coming, roads ltd'
did the get a consultant in to advise the on junction works
simian consultant solutions plc
perhaps they could get a PR company in to smooth all this over with the public.
'Lying, shyster and shyster' double speak and bent over a barrel PR solutions limited.
Cosmo Spring
says...
10:03am Tue 5 Feb 13
roddycam wrote:I think it rained a bit once
What adverse weather conditions?
mys842
says...
10:13am Tue 5 Feb 13
roddycam wrote:Snow in January
What adverse weather conditions?
foxy108
says...
10:14am Tue 5 Feb 13
Cosmo Spring wrote:For some strange reason, they are now classing rain as 'adverse weather'. If 'adverse weather' affected all works, we'd never get anything done.
roddycam wrote: What adverse weather conditions?I think it rained a bit once
Shoebury_Cyclist
says...
12:15pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Ian P
says...
12:25pm Tue 5 Feb 13
John T Pharro
says...
6:42pm Tue 5 Feb 13
Ian P wrote:Spot on. Not to mention the winter of 2011/2012 was one of the driest on record. It is excuse, after excuse after excuse. Essex County Council is entirely to blame for not ensuring penalty clauses were not there in the first place and totally failing to oversee that this project was on time.
"An Essex County Council spokesperson said: “Sadlers Farm will be fully operational in two to three weeks following a slight delay due to recent adverse weather conditions". If the whole project had been correctly managed by ECC, as it should have been, then they would not have suffered any recent adverse weather conditions. They also would not have had to stop for the Olympics as they would have long been finished.
What the contractor said Essex CC repeated as a fact. People like me and dozens more that this never looked like being completed on time were accused of being negative, ignorant, stupid and worse.
Care to comment all those that were so derisive of our veiws.
GentleGiant
says...
8:36am Wed 6 Feb 13
Yes, it has improved matters - however many drivers seem to not understand the simple fact of keeping in your lane at the junction.
This was supposed to be fully finished last summer including the landscaping - now it will not be completed until at least the summer - well over a year late.
I see that Cllr. Derrick Louis is no longer putting his name to statements - he is trying to hide and not be responsible.
Don't forget that ECC are also responsible for the ongoing chaos with temporary traffic lights at Benfleet bridge - a project that was supposed to be completed over Christmas / New Year.
Even this week, the ECC website says 'Strategic link bypass single lane closure to both north and southbound traffic. Until 5am Monday 4th February 2013.' - this closure was still in place last night and I expect it will be again today.
ECC cannot blame the weather - that is a poor excuse.
alsopuzzled
says...
11:34am Wed 6 Feb 13
erhaps if they had more than two people working there it would have been finished on time.
John T Pharro
says...
7:03pm Wed 6 Feb 13
alsopuzzled wrote:Perhaps if Essex County Council had penalty clauses in place non of this would have happened.
5th Deadline missed.............P
erhaps if they had more than two people working there it would have been finished on time.
Plus if you read the full "Echo" article it doesn't actually say penalty clauses are in place now.
Essex CC have even resorted to going back historically to say how good their record is with past projects like this.
A total irrelevance, each project is based on it's own performance. On this one marks out of ten is nil, none, zero or 0 whatever Essex CC understand.
daveb2
says...
12:35pm Sun 10 Feb 13
roddycam says...
8:48am Tue 5 Feb 13