Is This Why The Work Is Expected To Take 39 Weeks

Below is a press release from Torbay Council regarding development of a new business park in Paignton.
We all though it was just repairing the road down to the college. Now it seems it is a little bigger than that. I expect when they have spent 9 months building the business park they will dig up Long Road for a few weeks just to make us feel better.

For Immediate Release
Milestone for Torbay as work starts at White Rock
Work is due to get under way this week (Wednesday 31 October) at one of the most important sites earmarked to drive forward the future economic growth of Torbay.
Builders and highways engineers are starting site preparation and work to build new roads and services as the first stage of a high quality business park development at White Rock, in Paignton.
White Rock will provide more than 40,000m2 of much-needed offices on a new business park which is expected to create 2,000 jobs for Torbay. The start of work comes after the South West of England Regional Development Agency (RDA) announced earlier this year it would invest £2.9 million to buy land and bring forward the development of initial site infrastructure in partnership with Torbay Council.
Landowner McAlpine and developer Abacus have also committed £3.5million to the White Rock project and it has also received £3.5million from EU Objective 2 funding.
Nisbett of Plymouth have been employed by Torbay Council as quantity surveyors and project managers for the contract with South West Highways Ltd of Exeter carrying out the infrastructure works including clearing and preparing the site and installing new roads and sewers. The work is expected to take just under a year, during which time the developers will be preparing detailed plans for the redevelopment of the site.
James Wilson, Operations Manager for the South West RDA, said: "The start of work at White Rock is a major milestone for a project which has been recognised for several years as being key to Torbay’s economic future.
"White Rock is an important part of our work with partners to unlock the business potential of Torbay by putting in place the right infrastructure to create good local jobs, attract investment and create long-term economic and social benefits locally and for the wider region."
The Mayor of Torbay Nick Bye said: "This latest announcement is fantastic and really puts Torbay on the map with the potential to attract significant investment into the area and provide much needed jobs.
"Torbay needs to embrace new ideas and encourage higher value job opportunities if we are to realise our vision of economic prosperity for the area. This is reflected in the new Mayoral Vision "The New English Riviera" which encourages us to be ambitious whilst also protecting our traditional industries associated with tourism and our beautiful location.
"Once again the RDA has demonstrated its confidence in the future of Torbay and it reflects the strong working relationship that they have formed with the council and local partners."
Cabinet Member Councillor Derek Mills said: "I am delighted work has got underway at this site. The council and its partners have always had the vision that the Business Park would be a great base for private sector investment and enterprise. Now local people can see that things are really starting to happen.
"With the new innovation centres at Lymington Road and South Devon College things are really on the up for Torbay and this latest news is a fantastic boost in our fight to turn the Bay's fortunes around.
"Over the next few months South West Highways Ltd will be preparing the site and carrying out excavation works. It is inevitable that there will be some distruption to traffic in the area during the works and we will endeavour to keep local residents and commuters up to date with the progress and necessary arrangements. I am confident that the long term gain of such a development will outweigh the short term inconvenience and would kindly ask that people bear with us."
The decision to invest in White Rock is part of the RDA’s commitment to supporting economic regeneration and development throughout Torbay and as part of the Agency’s wider agenda, The Way Ahead, which looks at the growth and improvement of the region’s major towns and cities
The RDA has already supported projects such as the new South Devon College, Lymington Road work space and Torquay’s harbour regeneration, with more projects in the pipeline such as Brixham regeneration.
Ends


Photo opportunity
The Mayor of Torbay Nick Bye will be accompanied by, Mike Yeo, Strategic Director for Community Services, James Wilson, RDA and representatives from Abacus at the White Rock site on Wednesday 31 October at 10.30am to help dig the first foundations of the site.



For further information please contact: Nicola Moorhouse, Communications Officer on 01803 208850

A couple of photos, one nice, the other..........

This photo I took while I was leaning on a wall waiting to take over my bus at Regent Close. Sweet isn't he?
Long Road Paignton. I had never heard of Long Rd Paignton 2 1/4 tears ago. Then South Devon College moved there. So the company started running the 12A service to and from the college. The college is at the end of Long Road and coming from Paignton Bus Station we drive down, go all the way round a roundabout and stop and unload students, pick up more students and head for Brixham. 35 minutes later we are back in Long Road where we drop a few students off and pick a load more up and head for Paignton, Torquay and Newton Abbot. An hour and 15 minutes later we get back, drive down drop off, pick up and head for Brixham and 35 minutes later return. We may do exactly the same on the second half of the duty or we may be lucky and be doing 12s which don't go anywhere near Long road.
What I want to know is what exactly are they going to be doing for 39 weeks. Have the council gone so green that they have banned the workmen from using heavy machinery which have a large carbon footprint and are going to do the whole job by hand. Maybe the students who are on studying subjects relating to the road building industry are going to do the job as part of their courses work and they will have to stop every now and then while their tutors come out and mark the work. I know the road surface is very bad and the whole road will have to be dug down to the Roman foundations but isn't 9 months just a bit too long to spend rebuilding a road 20 feet wide and 800 yards long?

I think over the next 9 months I am going to mention Long Rd more than once on these pages.

Long Road Road Works Done at Long Last.

Here it is at last. The £430 000 road improvement scheme at the junction of Long Road and the Ring Road. Designed to improve traffic flow from the Ring Road into Long Road. I never drive along the Ring road so I have no idea if this money has been well spent. Some how I doubt it. Started in December to take 13 weeks. And it is finally finished. Twenty one weeks behind schedule. It had been going on so long I expected the Mayor to turn up, cut a ribbon and declare the junction, "Well and truly open." "At long last."
But he didn't.
Next up of course is resurfacing Long Road it's self which is about as rough as a ploughed field on a frosty morning. An other big job which should take about a week but if this junction is anything to go by, it could take months. It used to amaze me, I would drive up to the junction heading for South Devon College and twenty work persons would be beavering away like they loved their jobs more than anything else in the world. Ten minutes later, back up from the college and they'd be gone, as if the Doctor had turned up with his Tardis and taken them for a quick trip through time to look at great road works from history. Well if he did I wish he had taken them to have a look at Roman road builders. A mile a day or one in ten of them got crucified. That's what I call an incentive to finish on time.