CGB - Floodgate

I have read the Report prepared for the Cambridge County Council Cabinet meeting dated 16th March 2010 detailing the current position with regard to the delivery of the Guided Busway Scheme. It sets out quite clearly the situation and highlights the issues and why the CCC cannot accept delivery of the CGB . It seems to revolve around a number of issues which the CCC considers as defects and that need fixing before accepting delivery of the CGB and which the Contractors do not consider as defects and so do not need fixing. I know the document was prepared on behalf of the CCC - but as described the problems do seem very real and some seem to have safety implications as well. There are also some significant cost implications.

As a taxpayer (and person who lives in the County) I do want to see "our" huge investment deliver but as a cyclist the main issue I am concerned with is that of the Cycle paths (since I do not live on the route). Paragraphs 4.15 to 4.21 deal with the issue of the Maintenance track. It seems that modelling of the fluvial system indicates that over the last six winters the track would have been flooded for between 4 and 55 days although for three of those winters the path would have been flooded for 7 days or less. For me as leisure user of the CGB cycle way it is a shame that it is expected to flood at all, but I guess the compromise helps to keep the overall cost down. I would hope they would have signage though to indicate when it was flooded to warn cyclists and other users. According to the report parts of the track have been underwater for approximately 150 days over a winter which has not seen severe flooding of the River Great Ouse!

The report also indicates that sections of the track are too low and that in places are so low that maintenance path acts as a drainage ditch!!! Which was what I thought when I cycled along it last weekend. The other challenge is that any remedial works can only happen at certain times of the year.

It also turns out that the entire CGB was supposed to have been completed at the same time. (Addenbrooke's Hospital to Cambridge and Cambridge to St Ives). However an early casualty of the program was decoupling the two completion dates.

There are quite a number of other issues that need resolving including, amongst other things, the foundations used for the CGB and the spacing between the slabs. All told the report indicates that the Target Price of £87million has been exceeded significantly as the predicted Actual Cost is now £140million.

The setting of a completion date for the CGB looks set to run on - I hope that the issue of the flooding does not become a casualty in the negotiations and that this cycling amenity becomes available as was intended.