Around £25 million has been invested to rebuild one of the busiest bridges in Islington-Highbury Corner Bridge. The reconstruction started on the 16th of August this year and is still continuing. Although the construction is due to be completed in mid-2018, there are proposals to improve the area, such as: to improve cycling, pedestrian and facilities at Highbury Corner roundabout, which will cause the date to be pushed further away, causing discontented locals.
There are three phases: the first phase is to reconstruct beneath the bridge. The second phase is to relocate the electricity, gas, water and telecommunication pipe connections. The third phase is to finally complete the overall bridge construction. Until late November they will be changing their worksite fencing positions around the station, as they are moving between old and new locations of the utilities. There is planned closure at Highbury Corner roundabout for 3 weeks, from the 18th of December 2017 to the 8th of January 2018, as the bridge below will be demolished and re-built. However local businesses’ will remain open and local residents can bypass.
Most frustrated local residents are complaining about the traffic congestion caused in the area by the construction. Shaba, a nearby local resident, has said “the road works are too much. They are causing too much traffic. It takes 30 minutes just to get to my house from Highbury Corner roundabout, when normally it takes hardly 7 minutes.” Many locals are just waiting for the roads to be cleared and back to normal. No complaints are registered about the noise because the team have taken precautions, such as: noise-reducing acoustic barriers and vehicles fitted with exhaust silencers.
The Highbury Corner Bridge was built around 1850 to help carry Holloway Road over the London Overground line and sits under the Highbury and Islington station. The bridge was in a ‘poor state’, so it was essential that it should be replaced; therefore future damage can be prevented.
By Priyanka Kaur
