Gillibrand Link: FAQ
1. The Road
- Why is the road being constructed?
- The road will open up an area of land designated for housing development. Refer to The Need for the Scheme for more information.
- When will the road open?
- Autumn 2002.
- Who will maintain the road when it is complete?
- The road will be adopted by the highway authority, Lancashire County Council. Chorley Borough Council will subsequently be responsible for the highway maintenance.
- What is the length of the road?
- 1.9km
- What will be the speed limit on the road?
- 40mph.
- Will there be a bus service along the road?
- Bus laybys will be incorporated for future bus services.
- Are footways to be provided?
- A footpath will be provided from Ackhurst Road to the first housing development. The footway will be discontinuous on the road, but will continue through the housing estate.
- Are cycleways to be provided?
- Dedicated cycleways will be provided for part of the road, including:
- All the roundabouts
- The section from Ackhurst Road to the first and second housing developments, through which it will continue to Clover Road
- On the closed section of Butterworth Brow
- Will the road have lighting?
- Yes, lighting will be provided for the whole route.
- Will the road have low noise surfacing?
- Yes, a thin surfacing will be laid which produces a noise level of 2-3dB(A)[1] less than conventional hot-rolled asphalt surfacing. This type of surfacing is used extensively on the M6 and M65 motorways. See the Roads page for a diagram of a typical cross section of the road.
- Will there be any emergency telephones provided?
- No.
- Will there be parking on the road for people accessing the country park?
- No. The nearest car parks are off Birkacre Road to the south and Southport Road to the north.
- Are there any interesting facts about the scheme?
- 3 new bridges will be built. See the Bridges page for diagrams of the new structures.
- About 15,500 tons of Tarmac will be laid.
- About 50,000m3 of materials will be excavated.
- About 40,000m3 of fill materials will be placed
- Almost 10km of drains and pipes will be laid to take the surface water away from the road construction.
- About ½km of existing sewer will be diverted and this must be done whilst the sewer continues to flow.
- About 1¼km of new sewer will be laid for the development.
3. Development
- How many houses are being built?
- About 500 properties are being constructed by Redrow Homes and Wainhomes, ranging from apartments to 4 bedroom detached residences. A community centre and shop are also planned.
- Will there be affordable housing for low income earners?
- There will be a range of property prices - in addition, the developers be providing plots for up to 100 affordable houses.
4. Design
- Who designed the road scheme?
- Staff from the Highway Consultancy section of Lancashire County Council's Environment Directorate, whose work includes detailed highway, bridge, drainage and landscape design, and an UKAS[2] accredited laboratory for site investigation, testing of ground and construction materials.
5. Environment
- The road cuts through a
"greenfield"
site. Is anything being done to counteract the damage? - An extensve landscaping project will be undertaken to improve the area including a programme of tree planting to replace those trees removed during construction (see Landscape proposals). Many areas will be improved environmentally by the works. For example, the existing footpath and bridge in the vicinity of the River Chor are in a poor state of repair and rubbish has been dumped in the river. The area will be cleaned up and a new bridge and footpath provided, with landscaping of the river embankments.
- Will construction make use of recycled materials?
- Yes, masonry is to be retrieved from the existing structures and re-used as cladding of bridges and lining and realignment of the river. Some of the earthworks will incorporate material re-used on site.
- Will the Gillibrand Link Road cause more congestion to the road network in Chorley?
- No, the road will take traffic off local roads, including Collingwood Road and Tootell Street. Forming a link around the West side of Chorley, the road will remove the need for traffic to enter the town centre for many journeys, including access to the motorway network.
- Will the road lighting be energy efficient?
- Yes, to reduce energy consumption, light pollution and cost the street lighting along the route will be timer-controlled to reduce the amount of light in the early hours of the morning when the requirement is less.
- In heavy rainfall, what measures are in place to collect run-off and so prevent flooding?
- The scheme incorporates about 10km of drainage and storage for run-off water. The length of the drainage will help to reduce the impact of flash storms.
- What about the affect on wildlife?
- The works being undertaken will be sympathetic to the needs of local wildlife. For example, during the construction of works near to the rivers, measures have been taken to protect water voles[3] (a protected species) living there. The new bridge in the River Chor valley incorporates bat roosts. During construction, strict controls are in place to prevent the pollution of the land and water courses.
- I am concerned about the movements of extra lorries during the construction.
- Vehicle movements to and from site are restricted to certain routes, avoiding residential areas as far as possible. Many materials will be re-used on site, reducing the number of vehicle movements. To reduce these further, a method to improve and re-use more materials on site has been proposed.
- Is the local school affected by the works?
- The road takes a 30m wide strip from the southern edge of Southlands High School playing fields. Separate works are underway to improve the school's facilities by:
- adding 30m of land to the north
- regrading the playing fields
- providing new drainage
- adding lighting to and improving the surface of the all-weather pitches
6. Disruption
- How will traffic and pedestrians be affected during construction?
- At each end of the new road (Ackhurst Road and Coppull Road), new roundabouts will be required. The works on the highway will cause inevitable delays; these will be minimised where possible. In addition, Butterworth Brow will be closed to motor vehicles prior to completion of the road. A diversion will be put in place. Public footpaths across the site will remain open and segregated from the work. Noise and dust will be kept to a minimum. Details of diversions or other traffic restrictions will be posted in the Latest News section.
References
[1] dB (decibel)
The decibel (abbreviated dB) is the unit used to measure the intensity
of a sound. Not all sound pressures are equally loud because the human
ear does not respond equally to all frequencies: we are much more sensitive
to sounds in the frequency range about 1 kHz to 4 kHz than to very low
or high frequency sounds. Sound pressure level on the dB(A) scale is easy
to measure and is therefore widely used.
[2] UKAS
UKAS (United Kingdom Accreditation Service) is the sole national body
recognised by government for the accreditation of testing and calibration
laboratories, certification and inspection bodies. UKAS accreditation
demonstrates the integrity and competence of organisations providing calibration,
testing, inspection and certification services.
For more information, visit the UKAS website (external link).
[3] Water Voles
The Water Vole Arvicola terrestris is the largest member of
the British vole family. Water voles, also known as water rats, are now
threatened with extinction in Great Britain. This once common mammal of
our rivers and streams is believed to have disappeared from between 25%
and 49% of sites in the last 25 years.