The major roadworks at the Bow Roundabout continue, likely for three more weeks. But before they finish the disruption's going to get much worse and all the buses are going back to normal, perhaps not in the order you'd expect.
All the earlier reshaping and resurfacing appears to be complete, so the roundabout now has a proper kerbed rim and fresh tarmac has been laid right up to the new edges. In particular full tactile paving now surrounds the various pedestrian crossings, although these aren't being used at present because we're still using the temporary lights that have been in situ since October.
What's new is that the pavement and carriageway at the very end of Stratford High Street, immediately above the river, has been coned off for remodelling. The cycle lane is out of action, which isn't great, and pedestrians are being diverted around a large hole where a dozen orange pipes are threaded just below the tarmac. A single lane of traffic still flows through but, excitingly, it follows the new lane workmen added last year which has finally been christened by a stream of tyres. The roundabout's plainly not ready to reopen yet.
But it must be ready soon because the full whack of overnight carriageway resurfacing has finally been pencilled in for next week. It was originally due to happen on some unnamed date in January but delays have shunted it into the last week of February instead. They've just announced it on a big yellow sign.
From this it looks like a lot of closures, a total of six consecutive nights from Monday 24th February to Saturday 1st March. But it's actually fewer than that - just 24th, 25th, 26th and 28th - so not actually as bad as a passing driver might expect. And I only know this because they've sent everybody local a letter.
I love how the last line of the letter encourages us to "follow @TfLBusAlerts on X for live updates". TfL deleted their @TfLBusAlerts Twitter account in September 2020 so this is gobsmackingly out of date advice. Muppets.
Resurfacing will take place in two halves, the Bow side next Monday and Tuesday and the Stratford side next Wednesday and Friday. Thursday gets a reprieve because West Ham are playing at home. Closure will be between 9pm and 5am because that's when traffic's at its lightest but it's still going to be massively disruptive because the Bow Roundabout is the only traffic connection across the Lea for a mile in either direction. According to the letter "diversions will be in place", and they won't be short, also "several bus routes will be on diversion and bus stops in the area suspended". I expect the flyover and underpass will continue to flow freely.
It's strange, then, that all the buses in the area are going back to their normal schedules on Saturday.
Frequencies were cut and the 8 curtailed at Old Ford at the end of August, five weeks before any roadworks started, and those changes are now being reversed early too. Back comes route 8 to Bow Church just in time to still get stuck in the queues, whereas the whole point of stopping elsewhere for six months was to avoid them. It's as if bus changes are steered like an ocean liner, based on what was due to be happening ages ago rather than what's actually planned now.
This is how stupid it is.
Sat 22 Feb: buses go back to normal, roadworks continue Sun 23 Feb: roadworks continue Mon 24 Feb: overnight closure for resurfacing Tue 25 Feb: overnight closure for resurfacing Wed 26 Feb: overnight closure for resurfacing Thu 27 Feb: roadworks continue Fri 28 Feb: overnight closure for resurfacing Sat 01 Mar: roadworks almost certainly lingering
... Mon 03 Mar: last day of roadworks according to online portal Sat 08 Mar: last day of roadworks according to yellow sign by road Sun 09 Mar: last day of roadworks according to sign on barriers
It'll be lovely to see local buses back to normal again, but expect to sit in them for longer or get sent on a massive overnight diversion until whenever all this eventually ends.
