Colchester - the Northern Approaches Road 2 20 June 2002 onwards
Colchester - the Northern Approaches Road 1 until 1 June 2002
Colchester index - the town centre
Colchester - Severalls and the northern fringe/Highwoods
Colchester - Highwoods Country Park
20 June 2002
The route from the roundabout through Severalls develops with the addition of hard core.
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At the crossing of the northern approaches with Mill Road, looking south towards the hospital. Tarmac has been laid and lacks but a final layer.
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A busy early-evening, with the skyline already dominated by the Big Yellow storage building.
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A wide-shot of the developing roundabout area.
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Boudicca looks on!
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I now fancy the building that I mistakenly thought would be a triumphal arch, has more the proportions of a temple!
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27th July 2002
The Nayland roundabout section gets its kerb. This part of the roadway looks incredibly narrow, and two HGV's or buses would struggle to pass here.
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29th July 2002
Looking towards the town from the footpath through the hospital to the Oaks - now partly surfaced.
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The widening on the roadway as it approaches North Station is evident here, next to the Yellow storage building.
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The shell of the blot.
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19th August 2002
The traffic control in Mill Road .. to be replaced by permanent traffic lights when the scheme is finished. Controversy over the alleged promise of an underpass will surely be prominent at the time of completion.
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1 September 2002
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A new access road leads off from the Hospital foot crossing to new housing developments.
From the footpath across to the hospital .. and that road.
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Another new access road, this time to the south of the footpath. Cynics believe the true benefit of the Northern Approaches was to release building land!
Plant resting at the weekend north of the Hospital crossing.
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The view uphill from Turner Rise.
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The big yellow building and roundabout begin to develop.
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Looking north westwards towards the West Bergholt road.
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Towards the station from turner Rise, across the new northern Approaches road.
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Transport solutions?
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3 November 2002
The junction with the Nayland Road appears almost ready to connect ... but still terribly narrow.
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The junction with Mill Road nears completion on its northern stretch.
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New housing is already burgeoning alongside the Northern Approaches, even before completion.
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24 November 2002
Traffic backing up on the Nayland Road.
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The new roundabout design has bits cut out of it, and the purpose is yet to be worked out!
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The new design looking towards the yellow building.
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Temporary crossover arrangement on Turner Rise.
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The Northern Approaches awaiting completion.
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New housing burgeoning next to the new road.
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At the Mill Road junction, heavy rain has clearly held things up.
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The traffic control lights here must only be a week or two away; the tarmac has been largely laid and street lights have been erected.
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The scene looking towards the general hospital from Mill Rood.
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15 March 2003
The central roadways seem to have made little progress since November.
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A pattern of roads, on the other hand, has emerged towards the ASDA store.
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The Northern Approaches exit seems to be nearing completion.
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Spring daffodils, a new roundabout and new planting in front of the Big Yellow One.
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Turner Rise , with the new screen plantings by the storage building.
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22 March 2003
A plethora of vertical lines mark the Mill Road traffic lights, taken from the southern section of the Northern Approaches.
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New housing looking for buyers; protection from road noise is afforded by the high wooden fence.
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A road opens up a housebuilding area to the west of the Northern Approaches.
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The west side of the hospital crossover footpath, showing the preparations for more housing.
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The dimensions of this pipeline were impressive. Taken looking north from the hospital crossover footpath.
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The hospital can be seen on the far side of the new road. In the foreground - house starts!
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The so-tranquil scene in front of the hospital, on the same day as the photos of frantic activity behind the building were taken.
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1
6 April 2003
The imminent connection between two sections of the Northern Approach - looking down towards Turner Rise.
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Looking north up the Northern Approach along the pavement, with hospital features on the skyline.
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Barratts flat development to the west of the Northern Approach.
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The Horkesley/Boxted roundabout, with traffic-light traffic control ... long lights at that!
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Sewerage pipes readied for insertion off Northern Approach.
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Work on the Horkesley/Boxted roundabout. Writing this on May 4 very little seems to have been done in a month!
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26 May 2003
Taken from the line of the old footpath through the hospital, towards the north. Fencing skeletons the west side of the road.
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Towards the station from the hospital footpath. Such views are transitory, having been with us for but weeks!
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The road cut has been smoothes, covered with geotextiles and finished off with bark chippings. the Big Yellow One is at least a good landscape marker!
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Towards the Mile End Road and the church.
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28 June 2003
Opening! The scheme opens on a Thursday morning; these photos were taken on the Saturday, two days later. Still watching proceedings are the traffic light engineers from Chelmsford, fine-tuning the system, and offering invaluable insights into their work.
Traffic emerging from West Bergholt. A cycle and pedestrian avenue occupies the centre island of the scheme.
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Immediately apparent in even moderate traffic is a weak spot in the scheme, whereby vehicles turning towards the railway station can back up into the path of traffic occupying the outside lane going into town .. and vice versa!
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Traffic beyond the railway bridge is outside the scheme and is controlled, if that is the right word, by demand-led pedestrian crossings. This backs up traffic moving towards the town centre and degrades the effectiveness of the scheme.
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The lovely roses off the Nayland Road overlooks the new roundabout at the northern extremity of the Northern Approaches.
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20 July 2003
Traffic emerging from the railway station.
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The geometry of the railway interchange.
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New plantings in front of the yellow storage building.
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Taken from the green next to the ASDA store.
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Traffic heading northwards have two lanes until the turning off up Turner Rise.
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Approaching the roundabout from ASDA.
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Businesses in Nayland Road, such as the pharmacy, Post Office, hardware, Co-op and garage face an uncertain future.
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The first casualty of the scheme has identified itself in this bitter and poignant message.
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Warning signs and spy cameras prevent exiting Nayland Road to the north.
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