just when you thought traffic went slow enough on this road already.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/nott ... 534538.stm

The National Forest in Leicestershire has been chosen as the site for a proposed East Midlands landmark.

The Sky Vault, a net cable structure suspended from steel arches, will straddle the A42 in North West Leics.

It was selected ahead of four other sites after months of consideration by a panel of designers.

The experts selected the National Forest site because it is an area free from strong, symbolic association with one particular county.

Tom Hughes, one of the judges, said: "Bids from the National Forest and Newark and Sherwood District Council made it to the final stage of assessment. Both presentations were very strong.

"However, it was felt the National Forest site presents the Sky Vault team with the best opportunity to deliver a project that the whole of the East Midlands community can identify with.

"This will help to develop a sense of ownership throughout the region."

The team behind the project, which includes Nottingham Trent University, will decide the exact location for the landmark.

The scheme is being paid for by the National Lottery Landmark fund.

The other areas considered were two sites on the A1 and two locations on the M1.

Detailed designs are to be put to the Highways Agency and the project is scheduled to be completed in summer 2008.

So it's a sculpture, paid from Lottery money. As it's unlikely to have been asked for as such, it must be a case of "we've got some money here, how can we spend it, let's have a competition" and the lucky designer won. Then it was "where should we put it, let's invite bids from local bodies" and the National Forest won.

If a HV power line is ever put across there, they'll not need a safety mesh built specially.

Jaundiced, me?

Are they going to build the arch with sufficient span to accomodate a D3M?

Interesting to see that the A42 is a D3M in the computer mock-up. How far will the sides of the sculpture be from the edge of the carriageway?

Could be to do with the fact that it was originally intended for the M1 when the sculpture was proposed a year or two back.

I realised that as soon as I read the article in detail . Still, I assume it would have been the same size wherever it went, so it will be able to accomodate a D3M A42.

What a bloody stupid waste of money.

Will be interesting to see what happens if there a spate of fatal accidents once this opens.

<< What a bloody stupid waste of money.

Will be interesting to see what happens if there a spate of fatal accidents once this opens. >>

I seem to recall the same statements being made when plans for the "Angel of the North" sculpture were released. Of course when the sculpture was actually finished the accident rate didn't change and the structure has become a prominent feature in TV dramas based in the Newcastle area.

True but they'll probably do an offline upgrade of the A42, and then the cost of moving this stupid thing will figure into the costs of the road scheme and end up leading to it being too expensive and cancelled