A pothole has appeared on the £49m Gedling Access Road just nine months after the flagship road opened to motorists. The long-delayed 3.8km carriageway opened in the spring and cost £8.619m more than its initial £40m budget.
Tens of thousands of cars have since used the road, which was planned to ease traffic in Gedling Village and offer better transport links to motorists. But Nottinghamshire County Council has come under fire after a pothole appeared on the road nine months to the day since it opened on March 22.
A picture taken on Thursday (December 22) shows a hole measuring about 10 centimetres wide just after the second roundabout when travelling southeast. It’s as the authority says some damage has already been caused to the road by “badly-fitted farm machinery”.
Read more: 'Majority of lorries taken out of Gedling Village' after £49m access road opened
The pothole will be investigated to find the cause, and costs to repair the hole will be met through a warranty agreement with contractor Balfour Beatty. It comes just a week after a senior highways manager said he hoped a pothole wouldn’t appear on the flagship road for “something like 10 years”.
Gary Wood, group manager for highways and transport, had said on December 15: “Hopefully we’ll wait something like 10 years to see [a pothole].” On the same day, Councillor Neil Clarke (Con), cabinet member for transport, added: “As far as I’m aware, there hasn’t been a pothole and let’s hope it’s many years before one appears.”
It’s led to an opposition leader describing the pothole as a “major embarrassment” for the Conservative-led authority. Cllr Helen-Ann Smith (Ash Ind), the deputy leader of the Independent Alliance at County Hall, said: “Part of Gedling Access Road is resembling some of our worst roads in Stanton Hill and Teversal.
“You can guarantee the council won’t use ViaFix, the dreaded temporary pothole solution, to fix this massive pothole like they do in my patch. This £49m flagship road was completed massively over budget but was hailed as an example of the council’s new-found prowess at building roads.
“This is a major embarrassment for the Conservatives at County Hall and I hope any repair work doesn’t come from Ashfield’s budget.” It follows Cllr Clarke revealing that the road – officially named Colliery Way – has eased congestion in Gedling Village and led to fewer HGVs driving on its roads.
The comments came as the authority confirmed temporary pothole repairs have fallen by 61 percent since a highways review led to more permanent road replacements being prioritised.
Speaking after the pothole was found, the authority said a permanent repair will be conducted “at no cost to the council”. The road has since been “made safe”, the council adds.
In a statement, Mr Wood said: “We are already aware of some damage to Colliery Way caused by badly-fitted farm machinery and this latest damage will be investigated to ascertain the cause.
“The road is still under warranty with Balfour Beatty who will carry out any permanent repair required at no cost to the council. In the meantime, the road has been made safe and will remain under review.”
The 3.8km single carriageway Colliery Way links the A612 Trent Valley Road and Nottingham Road to Mapperley Plains. It runs parallel with the A6211 Arnold Lane and through the centre of the old colliery site. The new bypass crosses several fields, Glebe Farm and a section of walled garden at Gedling House and part of the Carlton-le-Willows Academy grounds
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