In good news the last entrance into the Olympic Park has finally opened. About time too.
This is the connection from Stratford High Street alongside the City Mill River. It was open during the Olympics and Paralympics as the 'Greenway Gate', the quiet way in at the southern end of the Park. And then on 9th September 2012 it closed and hasn't been open again until now, 4400 days later. Praise be.
The new link starts just beyond the bridge over the Waterworks River, where a broad shallow concrete ramp bears off from the Greenway and slopes down towards the railway. It's massive and has just been sitting there unused for ages. At the foot of the slope the City Mill River sneaks in beneath the Greenway, this the point where the original footpath emerged until it was sealed off (permanently) in 2007.
The way ahead passes under the Anglia mainline and showcases some splendid Victorian brickwork, smoothly arched. Here the river flows behind a metal guardrail and a strip of fluorescent lights has been installed, possibly a decade ago, making this a safe route for cycling even after dark. The path soon emerges into the Park close to the View Tube with a connection up to Sidings Street and with the Olympic Stadium immediately ahead. It's both a much-missed and long-awaited link.
In bad news another entrance into the Olympic Park has just closed.
It starts in exactly the same place. It's the almost-parallel southern entrance along the Waterworks River, the one that passes the allotments. This closed on Tuesday, I think to facilitate building works, I think for the long-delayed Bridgewater Triangle neighbourhood. If that's the case it could potentially be closed for years. I see they've already hacked down the vegetation beside the river.
It turns out the new entrance has been opened to mitigate the closure of the old entrance ensuring that Stratford High Street is still connected to the Olympic Park, just via a slightly different river. If we're very lucky they might leave both open when all these works are finished, but given past form I wouldn't raise your hopes.
