Complaints about delays to work on Asda roundabout in Havant

COMPLAINTS about delays and traffic queues were expressed at a consultation about a £7.1m revamp of a roundabout.
From left, Osborne site manager Matt Wilson and Chris Campos, engineer at Hampshire County Council, at the display of the Asda roundabout in Bedhampton plans 

Picture: Sarah Standing (160523-8056)From left, Osborne site manager Matt Wilson and Chris Campos, engineer at Hampshire County Council, at the display of the Asda roundabout in Bedhampton plans 

Picture: Sarah Standing (160523-8056)
From left, Osborne site manager Matt Wilson and Chris Campos, engineer at Hampshire County Council, at the display of the Asda roundabout in Bedhampton plans Picture: Sarah Standing (160523-8056)

Work started on the Asda roundabout in Bedhampton in October 2014 and is due to finish later this spring.

The small roundabout is being given a total overhaul, including a larger central feature with a new cycle path and footway across it, traffic lights and extra lanes.

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A public exhibition detailing the final phase of works, including overnight closures in April and May, went on show yesterday at Asda and B&Q.

Tony Tomlin, 72, who lives in Pinewood Avenue, Bedhampton, was unhappy.

He said: ‘There’s delays every time. The road markings are a pain to anyone who lives in the local area.

‘I think the most people I have seen working on site is about nine people.

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‘When you think it was supposed to have been completed in December and now they tell me today it won’t be until May that it’s completed.’

Paul Baseley lives at Ditcham Park, near Petersfield, and drives down to help his 87-year-old mum in Leigh Park.

He told The News: ‘How can they justify this kind of work taking so long?’

Leigh Park councillor Mike Fairhurst said the delays had been ‘disappointing’ but he did not blame Hampshire County Council, but the utility companies which are allowed to dig up pipes according to their own schedule.

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He said: ‘The recent delay is because they discovered some service pipes that nobody knew about, even the service provider. It’s just a bad example of the confusion that always occurs with these utility companies.’

He added: ‘There’s no question it will be safer, but I am not sure it will be faster because of the traffic lights.’

Councillor Sean Woodward, in charge of transport at the county council, said: ‘I’d like to thank people for bearing with us so far, while we have been carrying out this scheme. Progress has not been as fast as we would have liked as we have encountered some issues with uncharted underground utilities which need to be moved.’