The subway is still closed - grrrr!!! Anyway I took shots from the southern side of Church Road but didn't walk all the way to the subway.

Here's the northern end of the subway (as I said, still closed off!!!!), showing the diverge of underpass and slip road eastbound. Also the eastbound slip viewed from the adjacent allotment entrance.

OK, these are two views of London Road on approach to the bridge over the A13/A130 link road. Showing no stopping signs (eastbound "for 3 miles", "end" westbound):

And here is the underpass (A13/A130 link) looking north

Thanks for those Sunil.

A couple more pics of the roundabout just now. Looks like they are indeed working on the Benfleet side of the roundabout tonight (taken just now): http://www.flickr.com/photos/41681428@N ... hotostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/41681428@N ... otostream/

And looking south:

Thanks for those shots Runwell - I actually have a few more to upload!

B1464 on approach to the roundabout, and a new version of the old roundabout sign!

Views around the roundabout:

A130(N) exit pics:

A130(S), A13(W), A13 to A130(S) link - taken from the bus - apols for dirt on the glass!

And here are some shots of the A13 section to Tarpots:

And finally, finally, Tarpots Junction itself:

OK, two novelty shots, both taken from London Road - a fox in the field near the allotments by the eastbound slip road, and an easyJet plane soon after (I think) taken off from Southend Airport. The latter was taken from the B1464 bridge.

Thanks again Sunil.

Noticed driving through this afternoon that the 'ring' road from Fairglen area onto the A130(S) has been coned off this weekend. Presume they are going to tarmac over the remains of the old footway beside there so that it connects straight onto what will be the new lane 1.
Also looking at gantry signs, at the A130(S)/link road interchange it looks like lane 1 will be for Sadlers only, with lane 2+3 for the link road.

On the A13(W) west looks like overnight they have been closing the road (as of last night) to add the barriers into the verges west of Sadlers (with one lane open only atm until the link road merger it's only safe option) as well as more resurfacing.
It appears the emergency track road from Canvey to Pitsea below the new embankments/across Church Rd is also nearly ready. Just needs a few barriers and lamposts to add alongside the A13/Church Rd to finish that off and the two public roads as well.

Still so much to do though. Will be hoping to visit the site every day next week. Brief updates whenever I can.

6 days...

"Well Tarpots is now effectively finished. All resurfacing and line painting appears to be done, four full width lanes are now in use across the road, and the most important thing is the traffic lights are now fully operational, and the roundabout format is now completely gone. Haven't taken either High Rd or Rushbottom Lane since the new road layout came into operation yesterday afternoon. Traffic now cannot turn right from London Road w/b into Rushbottom Lane, so we shall see how that affects the side roads in the weeks to come.
Now three lanes approaching Tarpots b/w on A13. Coming from Sadlers, the left lane is for hatchbottom Lane (approach markings indicate left lane for lane 1, which continues up to junction (which is hatched off at the junction itself), whilst lane 2 on approach is straight ahead + when reaching Tarpots lane 2 goes straight ahead and lane 3 to turn right into High Rd. From Hadleigh, lane 1 to turn left into High Rd, then lane 2+3 straight ahead towards Sadlers, although for reasons unclear lane 3 is still coned off up to the junction.
Still a bit of finishing works to do in the junction island west of Tarpots (complete paving etc) and a few other areas etc, plus surfacing to complete the pavements to the south of the A13 plus paving/public realm works beside the shops on the northern side of Tarpots, but with kerbing already done that should not disrupt traffic too much. Not sure how work could last until september unless they are doing utility works beside the beds store, or if they will suspend works until after the games?
The lights should respond to traffic fairly quickly so there shouldn't be any need to dive through Tesco Express's car park, and with it being such a busy area and some wider roads "

ok,went down high road this morning after weekend works when it was chaos.This morning 300 yards took about 6-7 minutes to get through lights to turn left onto A13 westbound.Seem to be two sets of lights now one behind the other.This is going to have to change or it is going to back up miles.A13 Westbound was totally clear prior to and passed tarpots so,phazing in favour of high road needs to be tweaked or yes tesco will become a thoroughfare,or hatley gardens will become one also.Looks like s/b strategic link and A13 link will be fully done in the next day or so.The A130 south will not,another couple of weeks there where they buily an elevated lane which seems to filter to ward tarpots,might be wrong but 5 days to have everything finished and take away all traffic management is not going to happen and certainly not by 27th as ECC claim

for those who always thought the claim by Essex County Council of being off network completely by 27th June,please see below quoted from their website
"Update
See the latest information on roads affected.

The following elements of the scheme will be completed by Wednesday 27th June:

Removal of A130 southbound contra-flow
Traffic lights on the roundabout will be functional"

All other elements eg,what is and is not open has been taken off.
So when do we get an update of a completion date,does the A13/SB/NB A130 stay at one lane,when does all the other piles of resurfacing get done,when is A130 sadlers/tarpots completed ? Are their now penalties in place when this does not open by the ODA deadline of 30th June ? When do ECC come clean and admit they have messed up big time ?

Well A13 London-bound in the morning will always get priority, so in that sense from what you are saying the lights are working. This was only the first morning rush hour with the new layout. Drivers will take a little while to get used to it all (the junction itself is functioned by one programme of lights, the others will be for pedestrians but will hopefully be linked to flows from Tarpots itself. ECC will also be monitoring the flows as well in case they need to consider adjusting the timings. Even so 6-7 minutes is not ideal, but hardly the worst queue for 300 yards, considering 2-3 months ago it was taking upto an hour to travel that far. Certainly not worth diving through Tesco Express smoking tyres... Also worth noting the A13 L/b at Tarpots still has the third lane (straight ahead as per second lane) coned off to filter traffic through the one lane after Tarpots whilst the complete snagging works this week. Once that is lifted the traffic will flow even quicker through there, benefiting everyone fron all approaches.



Well personally I always thought it would be very tight for June 27th, and it is indeed the case. The A13(w) being shut every night over the weekend and this week up until Friday night suggests it could be a last minute thing.

I can see the contraflow being removed wednesday, but not all three lanes open. Likewise on the rounabout I can see all lights being switched on (except B1464 where there is still not even a trace of a junction island yet let alone lights!) but the final road surface still 75% done. As for the disappearing milestones, well all the main objectives of the scheme are open, albeit only partially, and these are listed at the bottom of the webpage anyway (about time they tidied that page up).
There is no 'climber' lane being created approaching Sadlers down the A130. That is the previous alignment of road you were driving on until a few days ago (the final diversion on the slight kink is set much lower than the previous road). They are breaking that up and levelling it out so they can add signage, barriers, run-off etc. After the link road exit, the A130 will be one lane for a few yards, then expand to two, and at roundabout will have three exit lanes as it used to. A13 will be two lanes when it is finished up to the link road merger (two lanes) when it will become four.

Personally I think the best they can hope for by saturday is to have four lanes open on the A13 with the central reservation varioguarded off, with a patchwork quilt of final/preliminary surfacing and planed surfaces. The sides of the road should be complete by then hopefully - driving through this afternoon they are getting closer to finishing the final alignment west of Sadlers, but the project not so. They should get the link road fully open with two lanes as well, but probably only by saturday if we are lucky.

5 days....

Oh. Dear.


http://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/9781947._Sadlers_Farm_will_not_finish_on_time__council_admits/
'Sadlers Farm will not finish on time' council admits

THE roadworks at Sadlers Farm will definitely not finish on time a leading councillor has admitted.

The works, which have already overrun, were due to finish on Wednesday.

But Derrick Louis, Essex County Council's cabinet member for highways and transportation, has admitted there is no way the works will be completed.

He said he is now in talks with Olympic officials about the impact of the delays.

*Full story in Wednesday's Echo

Hardly a major suprise the contractors have been telling me and all and sundry in benfleet it would be september as I've posted before. The only suprise would be some sackings for the lies ecc have told everyone.disgrace to uk engineering birse and ecc.delays again this evening maybe lights again.

I don't think many users on here took me and others seriously when we said how much of shambles this scheme has been. FINALLY we're getting some honesty from the council.