Glenboig residents' frustration at bridge repair work

Nov 25 2009 by Wendy Scott, Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser

WORK on a railway bridge is causing road chaos for thousands of residents in Glenboig.

Villagers have come to the end of the road with contractors working on the bridge in Main Street.

Residents are furious that the main road connecting the village to Coatbridge could be closed into the New Year - well beyond the temporary road closure date.

Coatbridge, Bellshill & Chryston MP Tom Clarke chaired a meeting in the village last Friday and listened to villagers’ concerns.

He told the Advertiser: “There is understandable frustration which is leading to deep-seated anger about the massive inconvenience to all residents of Glenboig who are not unreasonable as they recognise that essential work has to be carried out by contractors.

“What is making them angry is that this work is allowed to drift on and, before we know it, the village will remain cut off from Coatbridge well into the New Year. That is totally unacceptable and I will not allow this to happen.

“Car journeys of less than three miles used to take less than 10 minutes. The same journey has increased to nearly 10 miles and now takes nearly half an hour and that is off-peak. At peak time a journey can take up to an hour.

“The re-routing of buses means that people working in Coatbridge are turning up late for their work. Pensioners unable to walk from Ramoan to the village Post Office, which is less than a mile away, are now obliged to take the convoluted bus route and a round trip can take nearly two hours.

“The temporary closure means that the bridge should be kept clear for pedestrians at all times yet I am told that infants attending the nursery in Glenboig have to negotiate their way past obstacles under the bridge.

“Local shops in the village are being hit very badly and are losing trade. The closure of this road has imposed universal suffering by all the residents of Glenboig.”

SNP MSP John Wilson also expressed his concern on the issue.

He has contacted North Lanarkshire Council’s roads department to seek assurances that the road will be re-opened prior to the Christmas period as the road closure is causing major disruption to those wishing to travel to the main shopping area in Coatbridge.

He said: “The current road closure has led to major disruption of the bus services and road services to Glenboig and the surrounding area, including disruption to the bus service to Gartcosh which has led to problems for school children getting to school.

“I want an immediate review of the road closure and the programme of work to ensure the road is opened as soon as possible.”

However, a Network Rail spokesman told the Advertiser that their work was scheduled to be completed by mid-December.

He said: “The road closure was originally requested so that gas works could be conducted in the area of the bridge.

“We brought forward works planned for the structure so that a second closure of the road in the New Year would be avoided and inconvenience kept to a minimum.

“Our bridge strengthening works are proceeding to plan and will complete on time in mid-December (December 13).”