The long-awaited Geding Access Road, that's been in the pipeline for decades, has finally opened. And a group of people waited keenly to see the first cars drive up and down the road.
The new £49m route, connecting Mapperley Plains to the A612 Colwick Loop Road, opened to pedestrians and cyclists on Monday (March 21) but opened fully to motorists on Tuesday (March 22).
After workmen cleared the last of the cones just before 12noon, the first car to drive up the road from the A612 Colwick Loop Road end was a black Mercedes, and the first to travel down from Mapperley Plains was a hearse. And a group of around eight people were there to see those first vehicles travel on the road.
Read more: What happened as £49m Gedling Access Road officially opened to motorists
Dave Perkins was one of the group who had walked from the top to the bottom of the road, and waited at the bottom to see it open. The 74-year-old, who is a keen walker and lives in Nottingham city, said: "I've walked down from the Mapperley end and it's beautiful.
"There are some dangers in terms of potential parking for Colwick Country Park, and there's only one side with a path on, meaning pedestrians and cyclists will be passing in opposite directions. The road itself though is great but I think in 12 months traffic could overwhelm it.
"It could be a nightmare at the top of Mapperley. The views of the country park of the road itself are amazing though." The purpose of the new bypass, that's been on the cards since the 1930s, is designed to ease heavy traffic through Gedling Village. Originally it had a safeguarded route which would have gone right through the centre of Gedling Village, completely severing the local community.
But its progress has been far from plain sailing and its original route triggered staunch opposition from campaigners, who feared it would be built too close to existing houses and lead to the loss of valued green space. The Gedling Village Preservation Society was launched in 1977 with the sole purpose of opposing the original route.
The original route was later scrapped. And Francis Rodrigues, 72, the secretary of the village preservation society, waited on Tuesday to see the road finally open to traffic. He described the new bypass as 'brilliant', adding: "It will help with traffic and lots of car traffic off Shearing Hill.
"The roads are too narrow elsewhere and this will really help. I want to thank everyone who's been involved in making this happen, former MP Vernon Coaker, current MP Tom Randall, Gedling Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council. I think 99 percent of people would say well done, too. We've been waiting 45 years for this."
The road forms the final part of a wider highways scheme after the Eastern Outer Loop Road works began in the 1980s which led to Lady Bay Bridge becoming used as a road crossing over the River Trent, while Daleside Road was extended and Colwick Loop Road and Trent Valley Road were built. The new bypass completes the wider works that have been led by Nottinghamshire County Council.
A number of alternative routes for the bypass were considered with the original route scrapped. But the closure of Gedling Colliery, in 1991, presented more options. The road was subsequently routed across the former pit site, rather than completely bypassing it. Hundreds of homes have been built on the wider old colliery site at the Chase Farm housing estate.
In 1996 the current route was adopted and the bypass later became known as the Gedling Access Road (GAR). It is now known as Colliery Way. But another man who walked down the new road was less complementary than others.
John Riches, 71, from Nuthall, said: "It's going to fill a need but it's a shame it's not like the original plans of 50 years ago. When I walked down, it was very quiet all the way down.
"People will be going up and down for no reason today, and I have to say I thought more people would be walking up and down it. You do see parts of the area you haven't seen before, though."
The road follows a south-easterly direction from a new junction with the B684 at Mapperley Plains, parallel with A6211 Arnold Lane, through the centre of the former Gedling Colliery site, to the east of which is the Gedling Country Park. From the former colliery site, the GAR crosses several fields, Glebe Farm and a section of the walled garden at Gedling House, which is a Grade II Listed Building, and a section of the Carlton-le-Willows Academy grounds.
The route terminates at a new junction created with the A612 at Trent Valley Road / Nottingham Road. The project has not been without issue as, during its eventual construction, costs soared to almost £9m over budget.
Councillor Neil Clarke, chairman of the transport and highways committee at Nottinghamshire County Council, previously said: "This is a great benefit for the people of Nottinghamshire, especially obviously the local people. It has been 50 years in the making and it has now come to fruition.
"It will reduce congestion, reduce journey times and help alleviate traffic congestion towards the village of Gedling. Coupled with that are the environmental benefits, 53,000 trees have been planted during the project.
"All in all it is a great benefit and it will help benefit the economy because of that extra access to businesses and there is also new housing projects."
