Work is due to start this evening (Monday 2 March) in preparation to reopen another lane for motorists travelling out of Nottingham on Clifton Bridge.
From tonight, there will be two weeks of overnight closures of the bridge while detailed alterations to the existing traffic layouts on the A52 can be made.
Once that work is complete, motorists will once again be able to use another lane on the bridge to leave Nottingham, using the former in-bound lane.
To prevent any further damage to the bridge and to keep repair teams safe, Highways England needs to switch traffic to another part of the structure while work continues underneath the road.
Current layout of running lane at Clifton Bridge:
Proposed layout with additional running lane at Clifton Bridge:
The locations of the reconfiguration work on the A52 either side of Clifton Bridge:
And with essential maintenance work also starting on Monday evening at the River Trent bridge, Highways England and local authorities have been working to make sure the vital repair work at both locations can take place with as little disruption overnight as possible.
Highways England’s head of service delivery, Adrian Oulds, said: “We know the past few weeks have been really difficult for those travelling around Nottingham and I am grateful for people’s continued patience.
“We have been working closely with the council since our repair work started and I am grateful for their assistance in helping us to plan diversion routes while we do this vital work ahead of reopening another lane on Clifton Bridge.
“Before we can open the second lane, we need to reconfigure the approach routes and road layouts to the bridge as we’re creating a bespoke lane on the bridge which usually takes traffic into Nottingham. So essentially, we must do this work so that traffic doesn’t travel towards each other on the bridge itself.
“While this piece of work will take a couple of weeks, we’re doing it at night, so we can keep the bridge open during the day.
“We have looked at various options to get this reconfiguration work done more quickly but it would mean closing it during the day. We know the level of disruption caused by our work and that is why we’re doing this work overnight so people can use it during the day.
“We’d ask people to bear with us while we get this done.”
Nottingham City Council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport, Councillor Adele Williams, said: “I welcome the fact that another lane over Clifton Bridge will be open in two weeks, and that Highways England are carrying out the work at night to minimise disruption.
“We recognise that there will continue to be an impact on traffic flows around the city and we will carrying on looking with Highways England for ways to further alleviate the disruption for local families, workers and businesses.”
A fully signed diversion route will be in place.
A52 eastbound diversion from Queens Drive, Waterway St W, Sheriffs Way, Queens Road, A60 London Road, after Trent Bridge A52 (E) to divert onto Ratcliffe Road and A606/A453 traffic to continue the A60 to Nottingham Knight roundabout.
A52 Westbound to use A60 from Nottingham Knight to Wilford Lane/ Clifton Lane to re-join A52 from A453 at Silverdale.
Travelling from Nottingham Knight A60 / A52, restrictions are similar to yesterday, maybe a few hundred yards further before the single lane closure.
