Updated work programme:

Upcoming piling works

What is piling?

Piling is the construction process used to install the foundations for a structure. It involves driving the pile /foundation supporting the equipment deep into the ground.

It’s a noisy job involving heavy machinery which can create a lot of noise, so we have tried our best to plan the majority of piling work during the day to mitigate disruption to our lineside neighbours.

Piling dates

(please note that these dates can change at short notice, we will notify residents of the final dates via a letter drop prior to work commencing).

Monday 18 March to Saturday 29 March - daytime piling works.

Saturday 16 March (from 22:00) to Monday 18 March (to 06:00) - daytime and nighttime piling due to foundations being close to the railway track.

Monday 18 March to Saturday 23 March - daytime piling works.

Saturday 23 March (from 22:00) to Monday 25 March (06:00) - daytime and nighttime piling due to foundations being close to the railway track.

Monday 25 March to Friday 29 March - daytime piling works.

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Design of the footbridge

The footbridge was originally designed to have ramped access on the ‘downside’ of the bridge (the Wingfield roadside) and a ramped and stairway access on the upside of the bridge (the allotment side).

In March 2022, Transport for Wales held a community drop-in session to show the proposed ramped design of the footbridge, as well as to show alternative designs to the public. 75 individuals attended the event, including residents of Wingfield Road, Maes Glas and allotment holders. Attendees raised concerns with the fully ramped design, namely due to the size of the ramp on the allotment side of the bridge.

Following feedback from the local community, the design of the bridge was altered to include ramp access from Wingfield Road onto the bridge deck and steps down to the allotment side of the railway line. It will be built with future aspirations of adding a ramp to the structure on the allotment side.

Constructing the bridge

To allow Transport for Wales to construct the new footbridge, we need to set up a temporary compound site to store materials and house welfare facilities for our staff as they construct the new bridge.

We will be temporarily using a section of the playing fields behind Colwinstone Street and Colwinstone Close. We will also be constructing a haul road leading from Colwinstone Close into the compound site. Delivery vehicles will enter the site from Colwinstone Close via access gates, and travel along the haul road into the compound site.

We aim to access the site from September 2023, to carry out non-intrusive site surveys and site visits. Following this, we aim to begin the work to create the compound site towards the end of September 2023. The compound will then be mobilised and will be in use until May/June 2024, until the bridge is completed. Following this, the compound will be demobilised, and the area will be landscaped in accordance with the replanting and landscaping plan.

TfW aim to open the footbridge to the public in April 2024.

We will also be setting up a small work site at the end of Wingfield Road, to allow us to work on the North side of the bridge. This site will include a small welfare unit for staff.

Will the public still have access to the playing fields when the compound is in use?

Yes. The public can access the playing fields via the top of Colwinstone Close, via the access shown below.

The compound site and haul road will be fenced off to ensure the safety of the public, and we will install signage along the haul road to make sure residents are aware of vehicle movements.

For residents of Colwinstone Steet whose gardens back onto the playing fields, they will be able to access the playing fields by exiting their back gardens, and crossing the haul road via a crossing point that will be installed to protect the public.

Will we be removing trees to construct the compound site?

Following discussions and collaboration with Cardiff Council’s parks department and based on feedback from previous consultations, the compound layout has been designed to mitigate the schemes impact on valuable tree species surrounding the playing field. The essential tree losses have been focused in areas where trees are suffering from ash die back disease. TfW are also developing a replanting and landscaping plan upon completion of the project in consultation with Cardiff Council. Whilst the creation of the compound site will mean that some trees will need to be removed, we have focussed on retaining more valuable tree specimens, and we will look to mitigate the impact of this following completion of the scheme.

The plan above identifies all of the trees that currently surround the playing fields. Trees highlighted in red will be removed to allow us to construct the bridge and to create an access point to the bridge construction site. The trees highlighted in green will remain at the site.

Future provision of a ramp on the allotment side of the bridge.

When investigating the feasibility of different bridge configurations and designs, and considering the feedback received from the community, we have concluded that a foot and bike wheeled bridge, that can be future retrofitted to a fully accessible bridge, balances the needs of the community.

The design provides a means of access across the railway line, with an active design provision that will enable the retrofitting of a fully accessible ramp when funding becomes available through the Welsh Government and Cardiff Council, for the connecting paths, in the future.

If by the time funding becomes available further options have been developed which would be more acceptable to the community to make the bridge fully accessible, these could also be introduced to the current design.