MetroBus

[whole diary]

[chuffed]

I would not be at all surprised if they end up rerouting the M2 and A1 through Hotwells and Anchor road as Coronation Road is usually congested most of the day.
At least the employees of Hargreaves Lansdown would be pleased.
  I cannot help thinking that the embankment collapse is what happens, when you ignore a known problem for 30 months.  Just hoping that, by putting a few metres of fence up and doing nothing, the problem will go away!. Wouldn't it have been better to have heeded the warning signs instead of wasting time and money on schemes like the Western harbour ?

[TonyK]

The council weren't doing "nothing". They had been talking about this for at least 18 months, had allocated £9 million for the repair, and had invited tenders, which had just closed. It rather looks as though the process will have to start again, beginning with some more talking, as it's a very different job suddenly. I am no barrack room civil engineer, but I reckon it is complicated by the fact that until something is done to stop it, the sub-surface of the road is going to be soaked twice a day, and I don't think that a tarpaulin will suffice.

I share the doubts about Coronation Road. I used to avoid it like the plague wherever possible, having once had to follow someone from Portishead a few times, with the last half hour being along Corrie. I used to use Cumberland Road if I was going that way, something now unavailable to all. First will be keen to use Anchor Road to avoid losing buses for hours on end. The council will be keen not to, as it will prove what they were told, but ignored, about the best route into the Centre. If it is to be Coronation Road, with all stops along there in use by the M2, I hope they have made provision for the payment of fares. Because there are none of the £750,000 monoliths on that side of the river.

[ellendune]

The council weren't doing "nothing". They had been talking about this for at least 18 months, had allocated £9 million for the repair, and had invited tenders, which had just closed. It rather looks as though the process will have to start again, beginning with some more talking, as it's a very different job suddenly. I am no barrack room civil engineer, but I reckon it is complicated by the fact that until something is done to stop it, the sub-surface of the road is going to be soaked twice a day, and I don't think that a tarpaulin will suffice.

Although it becomes more difficult to fix, this looks like a further progression of the original failure and so the investigative work undertaken should be sufficient.  Leaving it for a re-tender probably would not be helpful as further deterioration might increase costs further. So no I don't think the tender process will have to start again unless something odd is found in the tender evaluation. 

 

[johnneyw]

At least no-one has started to speculate on the cause as having been burrowing activity by the "Bristol Crocodile".... yet.

[TonyK]

Although it becomes more difficult to fix, this looks like a further progression of the original failure and so the investigative work undertaken should be sufficient.  Leaving it for a re-tender probably would not be helpful as further deterioration might increase costs further. So no I don't think the tender process will have to start again unless something odd is found in the tender evaluation. 

 

"More difficult" in civil engineering is usually synonymous with "more expensive". I would have thought that a long discussion with the tendering companies would be the least that could be expected, to determine what difference the collapse makes, and who pays what if more collapses during the repair work.

[grahame]

From the official Bristol City Council web site

OPERATIONAL NOTE: Cumberland Road closed for emergency repairs

Closure will remain for foreseeable future

Cumberland Road has been closed with immediate effect after parts of the Cumberland Road wall collapsed last night. There are no reports of injuries or damage to property.

The wall runs adjacent to the Chocolate Path which was already closed for safety reasons. Engineers are on site inspecting the damage and the road will remain closed for the foreseeable future while we inspect the stability of the network.

Bus services have been diverted and diversions are in place for those needing to access Cumberland Road. Visit the Travelwest website for further details.

Nothing we didn't know - though confirmation that fixing this and re-opening the road (even if not the path) is not a  routine nor a quick job.

[ellendune]

"More difficult" in civil engineering is usually synonymous with "more expensive". I would have thought that a long discussion with the tendering companies would be the least that could be expected, to determine what difference the collapse makes, and who pays what if more collapses during the repair work.

Of course it is going to be more expensive - more of the bank has collapsed!

[johnneyw]

A highways manager, interviewed on BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page) Radio Bristol yesterday, tentatively suggested that the total cost of repairs may not exceed the amount previously allocated for fixing the damage already identified before the latest collapse. Presumably it is because it was already established that a good deal more than the visibly damaged area needed replacement.

[Bmblbzzz]

At least no-one has started to speculate on the cause as having been burrowing activity by the "Bristol Crocodile".... yet.

Crocodiles don't eat chocolate!
And it's a shame the chocolate tiles seem to be lost now.

[Red Squirrel]

...And it's a shame the chocolate tiles seem to be lost now.

As long as they keep one tile, preferably mounted on a display board off to one side, that'll be fine. For the rest, I'd be very happy if they relay it nice and smooth. I've had one too many BFO^▸ (Brake First Open (carriage)) incidents along that path.

[Bmblbzzz]

...And it's a shame the chocolate tiles seem to be lost now.

As long as they keep one tile, preferably mounted on a display board off to one side, that'll be fine. For the rest, I'd be very happy if they relay it nice and smooth. I've had one too many BFO^▸ (Brake First Open (carriage)) incidents along that path.

Fair point. With 38mm tyres it's not much of a problem, but with skinny tyres the tramline effect can be quite nasty on that surface.