Ely Southern Bypass is set to open at the end of October making life easier for local commuters
Ely Southern Bypass is on track and will be open to traffic, as planned, on Wednesday October 31.
The project to build the Southern Bypass around Ely has passed many major milestones and is on the home straight to completion.
All of the earthworks on the three embankments have been completed, work on the east and west roundabout is finished, the carriageway surfacing is nearly complete, final touches to the safety barrier, joints on the viaduct, white lining and signage is underway and work to build the walkway continues.
Ely Southern Bypass will provide a huge boost for the area and will ease congestion in and around Ely by providing a new link between Stuntney Causeway and Angel Drove.
The new route will remove the need for heavy goods vehicles to use the railway level crossing, and avoid an accident-prone-low-bridge.
The brand-new bypass will be open to traffic on October 31 and work to build the new walkway for residents and visitors will continue until late November.
Chairman of the economy and environment committee, Councillor Ian Bates said: “I’m pleased to announce work on the new road will be finished by the end of October ready to open to traffic. This is well deserved news for many residents in the area as we understand how important the scheme is to alleviate the misery felt by those in the area.
“Our contractor has been working hard to get the new road open as soon as possible and it is great news it will be open to traffic in just a few weeks. Whilst work to the walkway will continue, we didn’t want to delay opening the bypass as the work will not impact on the new road.”
A formal opening ceremony will be planned on the day and the road will be open to traffic in the afternoon.
Once the bypass has opened, work on the existing underpass at the low bridge will begin, to improve access for pedestrians and cyclists. The new bypass needs to be open before work can start on the underpass and this will encourage drivers to use the new road from the outset.
The underpass work will be carried out under a 24/7 road closure, with access for cyclists and pedestrians maintained at all times. This allows the work to be completed safely and as quickly as possible and minimising costs. Further details about this work will be announced shortly.
This project has been funded by Cambridgeshire County Council (£21m), East Cambridgeshire District Council (£1m), Network Rail (£5m) and the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (£22m Growth Deal including £16m from DfT).
