Guided Busway Update January 2009

Welcome to the January 2009 edition of the Guided Busway newsletter from Cambridgeshire County Council.

River Great Ouse viaduct ready for Guided Busway

The first new viaduct built in wildlife and the flow of the river are Cambridgeshire for over 20 years not affected. has been completed and marks Special maintenance-free steel has the end of a major 18-month also been used in the construction, project in the construction of which is both weather proof and Cambridgeshire’s Guided Busway. does not require painting. Over The new 220-metre viaduct over time, it will acquire a reddish colour. the River Great Ouse near St Ives Please remember the new viaduct weighs approximately 2,700 tonnes is a busy part of the busway and sits on eight large concrete construction site and it is not Above: Councillor Matt Bradney at supports. It has been designed and safe to enter the site before the the new Great Ouse viaduct. built in consultation with The busway opens. Below: Aerial view of the viaduct Environment Agency to ensure

www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/guidedbusway Reliable, fast and frequent

The busway will provide people Cambridge and therefore the with a reliable, fast and frequent busway will offer a ‘turn-up-and-go service and will be a genuine public service. The table below shows you transport alternative to long, slow some average journey times and frustrating queues on the A14. between the most popular There will be at least eight buses an destinations: hour going from St Ives into

Cambridge City Cambridge Origin Science Park Centre Railway Station

St Ives P&R 20 minutes 33 minutes 40 minutes Bus trialled on Swavesey 14 minutes 26 minutes 34 minutes guideway in 2008

Longstanton P&R 10 minutes 23 minutes 30 minutes

Histon & Impington 3 minutes 15 minutes 23 minutes

Regional College 1 minute 13 minutes 21 minutes

Addenbrooke’s 24 minutes 12 minutes 5 minutes

New guided buses are on their way

The first new buses that will run • Double glazing, Bus trialled on on the guideway have been • Real-time information. guideway in 2008 ordered. The majority of new buses will have: The buses will produce up to 80% less carbon emission than standard • Wi-fi, a wireless connection buses used at the moment in to the internet, Cambridge. Stagecoach’s buses will • Leather seats, also run on 100% bio-diesel • Air-chill or air-conditioning, instead of using standard diesel. Progress on guideway construction

Over 100 metres of beams that The guideway is now longer than make up the guideway are currently the Guided Busway in Adelaide, being laid each day through the Australia, and officially the longest Fen Drayton lakes area. in the world. Work at St Ives The beams are currently being laid P&R site towards the St Ives Park & Ride site.

On-street sections between Huntingdon and St Ives

At a County Council Cabinet Hinchingbrooke junction and as a meeting on November 4 it was result these changes will no longer agreed that Old Houghton Road be going ahead. The proposed will be re-opened to buses and Hartford Road bus lane has also will allow Huntingdon bound been dropped as guided bus buses, as well as cyclists, to services will not use this route but bypass the congested A141/ will run into Huntingdon via the A1123 roundabout. Oxmoor Estate instead.

Local concerns were raised about The bus lane on Houghton Hill in planned changes to the St Ives is still planned to go ahead when developments take place in New bus lane at Walden the area. Road in Huntingdon Update on road works

Hills Road Our contractor BAM Nuttall Limited The equipment that is is currently completing the second needed for this work roof section off the new underpass is very large and beneath the Hills Road bridge safety is of paramount embankment. After this the third importance. and final part of the underpass will We recognise how important it be built. is to finish the works on Hills The third phase will require some Road bridge as quickly as possible further restrictions to one lane for because it is a major artery route all traffic. This will only happen in into Cambridge. Currently off-peak periods (9.30am to 4pm contractors are working seven days Works and after 6pm). One footpath will a week to complete it. The work on Hills also be closed during the off-peak should have finished in February, Road bridge hours. This is currently planned to however, undertaking such a take place in early April. complex job within such a confined cause major traffic chaos. We area has proved more difficult than Restrictions are necessary to make would like to thank people for their anticipated and regrettably work sure deep drilling on the bridge can patience during these works and will now continue into the summer. take place safely. Drilling 19 metres apologise for this delay. Signs will The Council could have taken the down will help create the reinforced be updated to keep people up decision to close the bridge to walls of the underpass. to date. speed up work but this would

Over Road, Swavesey A1096, St Ives Bypass Over Road in Swavesey reopened in Construction of the new Guided early November 2008 after work Busway junction in St Ives started was completed in just five weeks, in November. The junction, where two weeks less than originally Harrison Way meets Station Road, planned. will allow buses travelling on the busway, as well as cyclist and pedestrians to safely cross the busy Milton Road A1096. The junction will also link The installation of the new St Ives Park & Ride site new safety with the town centre. barriers for the At the end of last year we worked in foot & cycle path the verges of the road before that runs alongside temporary traffic lights will be Milton Road is almost installed in January. The road will complete. This work is be restricted to a single lane during planned to be finished by the off-peak hours, from 9.30am to middle of February. After this we 4pm. It is expected the new will move the works to the middle junction will be completed by the of the road, where the remaining end of April. Building railway track will be removed before the safety a smooth road finish is laid. The We would like to apologise for any barrier at Milton road works on Milton Road are inconvenience caused and thank Road scheduled to be completed by people for their patience. the end of February. Late summer opening for Guided Busway

A decision has been made to open The spring opening depended on Cambridge section by late summer the Guided Busway from Cambridge continued good progress and would and more details on the section to St Ives in the late summer. It was have meant some non-essential in south Cambridge will follow. anticipated that the busway would features may not have been The works on Hills Road Bridge open in spring, but after a recent finished by then. Although have also faced some review we found that it is more disappointing, the later opening will complications. Undertaking such realistic to have buses operating in mean the high-quality facilities, a complex job within such a late summer. such as modern bus stops, ticket confined area has proven to be machines, real-time service Flooding in the Fen Drayton lakes more difficult than expected. This information, CCTV and better area followed by the cold snap has means regrettably that work will access for wheelchair and delayed completing crossings over continue into the summer. pushchair users, will be in place. the drains, with knock on effects on embankment works before the We are concentrating our efforts guideway can be laid. on completing the St Ives to

Guided Busway never ‘tyres’ of being green

A national waste management award has been presented to the Guided Busway project for its innovative use of waste. The Chartered Institute of Waste Management presented an award to the County Council’s contractor, BAM Nuttall Ltd, for their use of an otherwise waste product. The busway is using around 1.8 million used car tyres that have been shredded and will help to drain the track. A mixture of soil, seed and ballast will then be added on top of the tyres to help the grass grow. A variety of recycled materials that comply with strict highways regulations, including crushed glass, gravel, crushed concrete and rock, were all explored before shredded tyres were selected for the project. Tyres will provide fantastic drainage, are in plentiful supply, must be recycled by law, and are therefore a very green choice.

Shredded tyres in between the guideway track before soil, seed and ballast added Twiggy Mullein Rare plants on the ‘Long Road’ to success

Two rare plant species, seldom where they were nurtured to found in Cambridgeshire, ensure they had the best chance have been replanted in of survival. one of the newly created The plants have now been wildlife areas along the replanted in a new wildlife area Guided Busway route. near Long Road, next to the track, Mature Wild Liquorice where conditions will help them and Twiggy Mullein were grow. Some plants and seeds discovered last year before work remain at the Botanic Garden started near Long Road. Plants and as they are particularly rare in seeds were then taken to the the county. Botanic Garden,

Construction at a glance The list below shows the remaining construction activities on the busway.

Activity Start Finish

Longstanton to Cambridge further construction July 07 Summer 09

Longstanton to St Ives construction Aug 08 Summer 09

Work on Hills Road bridge May 08 Summer 09

Construction of St Ives Park & Ride July 08 Spring 09

Construction of Longstanton Park & Ride Winter 08/09 Summer 09

Cambridgeshire Guided Busway opening (St Ives to Cambridge) Summer 09

How can I find out more? If you would like a copy of the text in this newsletter in large If you want to know more about the Guided Busway project or if print, Braille, audiotape or you have questions or concerns about anything to do with another language please contact construction, please contact the Guided Busway team on 01223 the Guided Busway team using 716972, e-mail us on [email protected] or the details opposite. write to us at

Cambridgeshire County Council The next update RES 1504 about the project Castle Hill will be available in Cambridge March 2009 CB3 OAP There are also lots of details about the project on our webpages at www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/guidedbusway