Water main repair near Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge to coincide with ‘chaotic’ roadworks

Work to repair a burst water main on the roundabout near the entrance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge starts on Monday (23 June).

It coincides with the start of a 10-month project by gas company Cadent to replace ageing gas pipes in Station Road and Hills Road.

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Addenbrooke’s and The Rosie, confirmed that its water supply is not affected, but traffic is disrupted.

Fendon Road towards Queen Edith’s is closed along with a traffic lane and cycle lane closure on the A1307 arm of the roundabout.

A spokesperson for CUH is urging visitors to allow extra time for their journeys and use signed diversions via Hills Road, Cherry Hinton Road and Queen Edith’s Way. Visitors are reminded that Mowbray Road is also closed.

Last week, the mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Paul Bristow, called on Cadent to take urgent steps to avoid “chaotic” disruption from the roadworks on Hills Road.

In an open letter to Cadent CEO Steve Fraser, Mr Bristow warned the project could severely impact millions of journeys, particularly for NHS staff travelling to Addenbrooke’s and Royal Papworth hospitals.

“Quite simply, if they can’t get to work on time, operations and other essential medical treatments will be at risk of cancellation and delay,” he said.

The works affect a key route in and out of the city, with bus operators expressing concerns about service disruption, as reported in the Cambridge Independent.

The work, which includes replacing ageing gas pipes in Station Road and Hills Road, will also start on Monday, 23 June.

The planned works involve the decommissioning of the current metallic gas pipes – which measure 1,400m – and installing tough new pipes which will last for decades.

The installation will take place in phases with the first stage beginning in Station Road.

During this phase, one footpath will be closed for an expected six to eight weeks but two-way traffic will be maintained throughout.

Phase two starts in Hills Road, close to The Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and the English Martyrs, running southbound to the start of the bus lane near the junction of Bateman Street.

During these works, two-way traffic will remain in place throughout, but the bus lane will have rolling closures in place, running around 100m at a time.

There will be some closures and diversions for side roads that connect with Hills Road. This work is scheduled to begin on Friday, 11 August and runs for 12 weeks.

Phase three of the works takes place from the junction of Hills Road and Bateman Street and runs south beyond the junction with Station Road.

This will require the use of temporary traffic lights, but again, two-way traffic will run as normal with no road closure envisaged.

Work is scheduled to begin in late October/early November and run for 12 weeks.

There will be no work taking place between 1 December and 5 January, Cadent says.

Phase four continues along Hills Road from just past the junction with Station Road up to the railway bridge. There is not expected to be any traffic management in place for this phase of work, which will last around six weeks.

In total, work is expected to last between 42 and 44 weeks.