Neighbours have said they are glad a road outside of their homes has been closed despite dust and the 'inconvenience' caused. People living next to the closure on Arnold Lane, Gedling Village, which was closed on March 23 between its junction with Mapperley Plains and Linsdale Gardens, have welcomed the work which has reduced traffic and noise in the area.
The closure is in place so that Arnold Lane can be connected on to the £49 million Colliery Way bypass at the five-arm roundabout, and will be in place until August 2022. Colliery Way, formerly known as the Gedling Access Road, opened on March 22, the day before the Arnold Lane closure.
People living in the side roads near the road closure were looking forward to the reopening and had not been put off by dust and a slightly longer journey towards Arnold. Kim Gayler, 59, who lives in Kneeton Close, said that she was glad the road had closed. "Arnold Lane is a horrendous road, I've been happier since it closed," Ms Gayler said.
"It's a lot quieter with the work taking place now, you don't get people shooting down the long straight. The traffic at peak times was awful as well so you couldn't get out.
"The only problem with the work I would see is that it is now all 30 miles per hour. I doubt people will pay any attention to that when it reopens. I hope it will be better when it reopens. But old habits die hard and I think a lot of the traffic will come back."
Ian Perry, 61, who works for Nottingham City Homes, said: "It is a little bit of an inconvenience for people here as you can't turn straight out and have to go around. But I think most people are happy to wait for the benefit - this [Colliery Way] has been planned for 30 years.
"There's a bit of dust that gathers that could be from there but that's not too much trouble. A lot of lorries have had to turn around down here when they realise they can't go through.
"It's made the road a lot quieter and getting out of the road was a problem before. It's not too much effort to go the other way."
Temporary three-way traffic lights are in place at the Mapperley Plains/Arnold Lane/Gedling Road junction to enable the junction to be upgraded. Pedestrian access has been maintained on Arnold Lane via the existing footpath adjacent to the golf course.
John Varnam, 66, who is retired and lives in Stanhope Road, said: "I don't drive so it doesn't mean a great deal to me. But I know everyone will be happy when it is all done.
"The only thing is that I used to walk up the path on Arnold Lane with my dog, which I can't do at the minute. And where we live there is still the dust flying about.
"I think that we are all glad Arnold Lane is being done now [linked to Colliery Way] and we are waiting for it to open as it's been two years since GAR started. It used to be a lovely rural area around here. But its swings and roundabouts if it reduces traffic."
A resident of Linsdale Gardens, who wanted to remain anonymous, added: "It has been a bit of an inconvenience but you can easily go on the new road [Colliery Way] or go around on Shelford Road. Our cars and windows get covered in dust but that's what happens when work happens near you.
"It's been nice, it is dead silent at night here now. And we don't get ambulances or police shooting past late at night.
"We get lots of traffic turning down here when they don't know it's closed. I'm looking forward to it reopening and hopefully it will be less busy."
Gary Wood, Head of Highways and Transport at Nottinghamshire County Council said: “Once complete, the works which are currently taking place on Arnold Lane will provide a direct link from Colliery Way, onto Arnold Lane. These works began after Colliery Way opened to traffic in March, and they are scheduled for completion in August 2022, however, every effort will be made to open the road sooner.
“We will keep residents and motorists informed of the progress of the works and would like to recognise and thank them for their patience throughout the construction of Colliery Way.
“More information can be found on our website or by signing up to our regular email bulletins about the project: https://www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/transport/roads/gedling-access-road/newsletter”
