Traffic measures will be in place "before health centre opens"

TRAFFIC calming measures on the busy main road outside where Llangollen’s new health centre is being built will be in place before it opens its doors to patients.

That’s the assurance the area’s county councillor Stuart Davies says he has been given by Denbighshire highways officers.

A number of local people have raised concerns that  vehicles entering and leaving the health centre site in Mill Street will have to contend with traffic speeding along the A539.

Cllr Davies promised earlier this year to ask council officers to come up with a package of traffic calming measures to make the access point safer.

However, nothing had been heard for some time.

Now Cllr Davies said: “I have chased up officers to make sure that traffic calming measures are going to be implemented at the same time as the health centre is being built.

“I have been assured that the Betsi Cadwaladar University Health Board (BCUHB), which is building the new centre, has commissioned a traffic consultant to undertake the design of a signal controlled crossing for them and my officers agree with me that any highway improvements should be implemented before the new centre opens.”

Building work on the new centre is now quite advanced and the next stages of the project will include the work needed to provide electrical and water supplies to the building, divert water mains, construct a pavement alongside the new building, provide drainage to the road, install bus stops, relocate the 30 mph zone and provide additional street lighting.

This work is planned to start on January 5 and continue for five to six months.  

While it takes place the road past the site will at times be restricted to a single lane, with traffic lights in place to control vehicles coming into and going out of Llangollen on the A539 (Mill Street) road to Ruabon.  Bishop’s Walk will also be affected.

The main contractors, Read Construction, and the health board are currently working with Llangollen Railway to co-ordinate the movements of locomotives along Mill Street during the period that these lane restrictions are in place. 

No lane closures will take place during the following holiday periods: 3^rd - 13^th April, 1st - 5^th May, 22^nd May - 1^st June.

BCUHB has apologised in advance for any inconvenience caused by these temporary traffic control arrangements and asked for “patience and understanding” from road users whilst the work goes ahead.

Once complete in mid-2015 the health centre will bring together the town’s GP practice and community health services run by the BCUHB with services provided by Denbighshire County Council and the voluntary sector.