The Leader of Havering Council and Cabinet Member for Environment, continue to push TfL and Essex and Suffolk Water (ESW) on a completion date for the Gallows Corner flyover project.
Cllr Ray Morgon and Cllr Barry Mugglestone joined Council officers and representatives from TfL, Costain (the contractor carrying out the works for TfL) and ESW on a second site visit to Gallows Corner last week.
Following the visit, Havering Council’s Leader, said:
“During our recent visit to the Gallows Corner construction site – it was encouraging to see some progress on the south side of the junction – including witnessing a pillar being lifted into place.
"However, we raised concerns with all parties about the delays with this project and more critically the continued lack of an end date.
“We learnt that the bulk of the delay is due to issues encountered with the parallel project by ESW, specifically those arising from the water mains diversion being undertaken.
"While we appreciate the importance of renewing strategic water mains and the benefits this will bring, we are extremely concerned that complications encountered during tunnelling, which should have been picked up by the ground condition assessments, are now resulting in significant slippage for completion of the flyover.
“We know the impact this is having on our borough. It is affecting residents, businesses, schools, emergency services, and public services. It is also delaying the delivery of the Council’s wider highways programmes.
“We recognise that TfL cannot confirm a completion date for the flyover until a viable solution for ESW’s water main construction is identified, and that this in turn is dependent on the outcome of ongoing ground investigations.
"We have since written to ESW to formally log our concerns with the delays and to call for better communication with the Council and TfL going forward.
“While we appreciate the complexities of this project - given the strategic importance of Gallows Corner to the borough’s transport network, we will continue to hold all parties to account for their role in delivering this project efficiently and transparently.”