Fascinating story, thanks for sharing. Reading between the lines, as like most things in life, this is pretty much a question of money. And the lack thereof. Local residents are the primary beneficiaries of this road's maintenence, and should pay for it. Why should taxpayers in other regions of the UK pay for something they have a 99.9% likelihood of never using... The problem is that two thirds of an average Local Authority's budget is now spent on adult and children's social care. If local residents would like the road repaired, they should signal their willingness to pay higher local taxes to facilitate this expense by writing to their local politicians - rather than choosing to elect a protest politician who will blame their local woes on channel migrants. A very politically fraught situation, thanks again for sharing.
The longer I spend working in the public sector, the more cynical I get about "partnership working". Sure, for complex delivery you need different partners coming together to sort things out. But very often it's code for wading through an absolutely impenetrable fog of vague accountabilities in order to move half an inch forward. Or even go nowhere.
Great post. Like you said, I don't know the road or the area particularly well, but it echos something that's been going on in Derbyshire with the Snake Pass. This is an important road nationally because it's the most direct connection between Manchester and Sheffield. Unfortunately, it's built on peat which has been collapsing. It's owned and managed by Derbyshire County Council and in recent years has been closed for about a month a year whilst they make emergency repairs. The road doesn't even serve many Derbyshire residents, it's mostly used for getting between those two cities.
Derbyshire have now closed the road to HGVs as the ongoing patching up repairs are consuming a quarter of their budget. They've asked for it to be taken on by Highways England or for them to get extra money for it. Otherwise, they may just abandon the road like they did with a road in the 70s.
This bypasses the village of Mottram at the end of the M67, to help more traffic get to the Woodhead pass and the Snake pass! The very road that may not exist in a few years.
There just seems to be many different organs of government working independently but not holistically. They seem to exist in their own bubbles without anyone taking consideration of the wider implications of what they are doing. It feels maddening at times.
I was going to bring up Snake Pass! One of the main (only) routes connecting two of the major cities in the country (that are only 40 miles apart, but take over an hour to travel between), and we're talking about abandoning it. I can't believe anywhere else in Europe would put up with such poor travel links.
I'm fairly sure this talk is a negotiating tactic by Derbyshire Council, but the fact it's even getting to this stage is a pretty terrible indicment of our infrastructure.
“Because if we want people to have faith that the state can actually do stuff, and that democracy actually works – then we need a state that visibly improves people’s lives”
When the Daniel Andrews State Labor Govt was elected by 1 seat in 2014 their big infrastructure promise was to replace all of Melbournes Level Crossings, each suburb had at least one, boom gates that came down, often stopping traffic on major roads, each time a train came through, there was obvious disruption as they were replaced with either tunnels or bridges for the railway line or the road, but the beauty of it was each one took about 6-18 months to replace and dozens and people got to the benefits before the election, an election that was famous Danslide reelection were even right wing commentators acknowledged the role of Andrews (who they despised) getting stuff done like the level crossings removal played in the win, dozens more were replaced between 18-22 which led to, even after the harshest lockdowns in the world yet another DanSlide
Just taking away those 2-4 minute red lights that people had thought was just how life was ended up making people’s lives noticeably better and the government was rewarded
Apologies it seems that typing the above on my phone I seem to have deleted one important bit leaving an odd combo of 2 half sentences
From 2014-2018 dozens of these Level Crossings were replaced in many different areas of Melbourne ( I am not sure if they focused on marginal seats but that would have been smart if they did) the work did cause real disruption while it was being done, train lines closed down, roads blocked etc, but the removal usually took less than a year and was done mainly on weekends or at night to minimise disruption, giving the local residents well over a year in most cases to enjoy the fruits of the changes
its crazy now when you drive around Melbourne that these things you just accepted as a part of life, causing massive traffic jams at peak hour (the Nunnawadding one near a freeway exit was a true nightmare) are now all gone, plus they took the opportunity to moderniser the Stations while they were at it so train commuters got to see the benefits too
I really think someone like you James who is interested in infrastructure and abundance while trying to show the political benefits, would really get something by spending some time properly looking into what the State Labor Govt in Victoria achieved politically with this project
Also reminded of this bridge in a London borough (Redbridge) closed for about 2 years so far - - very slow progress of various checks and no idea where the actual money will come from unless they can persuade central Govt to pay up :
this is a perfect example - and why those on the right who trash the state gain such traction. While the state does a lot for us, it doesn't feel like it, especially where intuitively so many problems should be able to be solved. The A432 bridge over the M4 closed in July 2023, but is still a building site.
When I-95 collapsed on Sunday, June 11, experts told the Shapiro Administration that reopening the roadway would take months. Governor Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll led an all-hands-on deck response – bringing local, state, and federal partners together with unions, contractors, and the private sector.
Crews worked around the clock – literally 24/7 – to demolish the damaged and collapsed highway, build an interim roadway, and reopen 6 lanes of traffic in each direction in just 12 days – months ahead of experts’ original predictions.
Read below for a timeline of the efforts the Shapiro Administration took to re-open I-95 in just 12 days:
June 11: On the day of the collapse, Governor Shapiro was immediately briefed(opens in a new tab) on the situation. Governor Shapiro then joined(opens in a new tab) PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, the City of Philadelphia, and SEPTA to provide an update on the initial response to the I95 collapse. PennDOT personnel, including Secretary Carroll, were on site inspecting the roadway all day while the State Police were on the scene all day, assisting Philly Police in diverting traffic off I-95.
June 12: The very next day, Governor Shapiro issued(opens in a new tab) a proclamation of disaster emergency(opens in a new tab) for Philadelphia County in response to the I-95 fire and collapse to cut through the red tape and provide Commonwealth agencies with the resources needed to repair I-95 safely and as efficiently as possible.
After signing the proclamation, demolition immediately began and crews worked around the clock.
June 13: U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg traveled to Philadelphia to visit(opens in a new tab) and survey the incident of the site with PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. Governor Shapiro spoke to Secretary Buttigieg over the phone to update him on the Administration’s progress.
June 14: Governor Shapiro, Secretary Carroll, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, U.S. Department of Transportation Under Secretary for Policy Carlos Monje, Ryan Boyer from the Philadelphia Building Trades Council, and contractors announced(opens in a new tab) that the demolition of the damaged section of I-95 is expected to be complete that week – well ahead of schedule – and that the Administration, engineers, and contractors have developed a plan to safely and quickly reopen the roadway.
June 15: As Governor Shapiro promised at the June 14 press conference, a 24/7 live feed(opens in a new tab) of the construction site was set up “to chart our progress and give everyone a sense of timing as we move forward.” The same day, Governor ShapiroandPennDOT announced that the demolition of the damaged section of I-95 was complete(opens in a new tab) – days ahead of schedule – as the Shapiro Administration coordinated directly with partners at the city, state, and federal levels.
June 16: After the demolition was completed days ahead of schedule, crews began work(opens in a new tab) on building the interim roadway. A base of foamed glass aggregate – from Delaware County-based AeroAggregates(opens in a new tab) – was laid on the roadway to serve as the foundation as crews fill in the gap up to the surface level of I-95.
June 17: Governor Shapiro joined(opens in a new tab) President Biden for an aerial tour of the site, and then briefed the President on Pennsylvania’s around the clock work and coordination with federal officials to reopen the roadway safely and quickly.
June 20: At a press conference at the site, Governor Shapiro announced(opens in a new tab) that I-95 will reopen the following weekend, ahead of the originally projected two-week timeline. Thanks to the coordinated partnership of PennDOT, the Biden Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the City of Philadelphia, and the hard work of the Philadelphia Building Trades, crews made fast progress to rebuild I-95 within two weeks of the collapse.
June 23: Just 12 days after the collapse, Governor Shapiro and Secretary Carroll officially reopened(opens in a new tab) six lanes of traffic on I-95, culminating a coordinated state, local, and federal response to reopen the roadway safely and as quickly as possible, and efforts were ahead of schedule each step of the way to get traffic flowing on I-95 again.
Yeah there was time wasted in getting it approved to be built, but once approved NorthConnex, a 9km long tunnel in the northern suburbs of Sydney that is 90 metres underground and runs under major suburban centres and housing estates took less time than that to build and that includes the time they spent using all the dirt from the tunnel to fill in a local quarry to create a new park
What the hell is wrong with my old country, it seems every time England is mentioned at family gatherings around Christmas or whatever, the words ‘thank eff we emigrated’ get used at least once
On access to the site, would letting surveyors in really disrupt the business there? What kind of equipment do surveyors tend to bring in for situations like this? I was thinking long-lens cameras and little else, but I know nothing of this world.
Yeah, can't claim detailed knowledge but talking to the manager of the business at the bottom of the cliff, it sounds like they basically wanted him to move his business out entirely. (Presumably knowing it would be a massive fix.)
It feels to me that a functioning government would be able to offer the demolition business a new site temporarily and to cover the expenses associated with a move. I can’t help thinking there’s a lot of penny wise pound foolish decisions being taken all over. Ditto Thames Water digging up the same road dozens of times when they could probably have replaced the entire section of main for a fraction of the cost.
On costs, permissions, and the process hoops. Modern Britain at its most sclerotic. My little example is the road outside the front door being repeatedly dug up as the quality was not to specification. But not to worry it’s all part of GDP.
Fascinating story, thanks for sharing. Reading between the lines, as like most things in life, this is pretty much a question of money. And the lack thereof. Local residents are the primary beneficiaries of this road's maintenence, and should pay for it. Why should taxpayers in other regions of the UK pay for something they have a 99.9% likelihood of never using... The problem is that two thirds of an average Local Authority's budget is now spent on adult and children's social care. If local residents would like the road repaired, they should signal their willingness to pay higher local taxes to facilitate this expense by writing to their local politicians - rather than choosing to elect a protest politician who will blame their local woes on channel migrants. A very politically fraught situation, thanks again for sharing.
The longer I spend working in the public sector, the more cynical I get about "partnership working". Sure, for complex delivery you need different partners coming together to sort things out. But very often it's code for wading through an absolutely impenetrable fog of vague accountabilities in order to move half an inch forward. Or even go nowhere.
"Accountability sinks", as Dan Davies then Sam Freedman have memorably popularised these problems as!
Great post. Like you said, I don't know the road or the area particularly well, but it echos something that's been going on in Derbyshire with the Snake Pass. This is an important road nationally because it's the most direct connection between Manchester and Sheffield. Unfortunately, it's built on peat which has been collapsing. It's owned and managed by Derbyshire County Council and in recent years has been closed for about a month a year whilst they make emergency repairs. The road doesn't even serve many Derbyshire residents, it's mostly used for getting between those two cities.
Derbyshire have now closed the road to HGVs as the ongoing patching up repairs are consuming a quarter of their budget. They've asked for it to be taken on by Highways England or for them to get extra money for it. Otherwise, they may just abandon the road like they did with a road in the 70s.
This has been reported on https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yrnz5wxgko
But right now work has begun on the A57 link road: https://nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/north-west/a57-link-roads/
This bypasses the village of Mottram at the end of the M67, to help more traffic get to the Woodhead pass and the Snake pass! The very road that may not exist in a few years.
There just seems to be many different organs of government working independently but not holistically. They seem to exist in their own bubbles without anyone taking consideration of the wider implications of what they are doing. It feels maddening at times.
This is maddening! There must be examples of this sort of thing all over the place.
I was going to bring up Snake Pass! One of the main (only) routes connecting two of the major cities in the country (that are only 40 miles apart, but take over an hour to travel between), and we're talking about abandoning it. I can't believe anywhere else in Europe would put up with such poor travel links.
I'm fairly sure this talk is a negotiating tactic by Derbyshire Council, but the fact it's even getting to this stage is a pretty terrible indicment of our infrastructure.
I don't think it's a typo in that sign - the missing "L" from the top sign has fallen into the bottom sign
“Because if we want people to have faith that the state can actually do stuff, and that democracy actually works – then we need a state that visibly improves people’s lives”
When the Daniel Andrews State Labor Govt was elected by 1 seat in 2014 their big infrastructure promise was to replace all of Melbournes Level Crossings, each suburb had at least one, boom gates that came down, often stopping traffic on major roads, each time a train came through, there was obvious disruption as they were replaced with either tunnels or bridges for the railway line or the road, but the beauty of it was each one took about 6-18 months to replace and dozens and people got to the benefits before the election, an election that was famous Danslide reelection were even right wing commentators acknowledged the role of Andrews (who they despised) getting stuff done like the level crossings removal played in the win, dozens more were replaced between 18-22 which led to, even after the harshest lockdowns in the world yet another DanSlide
Just taking away those 2-4 minute red lights that people had thought was just how life was ended up making people’s lives noticeably better and the government was rewarded
Apologies it seems that typing the above on my phone I seem to have deleted one important bit leaving an odd combo of 2 half sentences
From 2014-2018 dozens of these Level Crossings were replaced in many different areas of Melbourne ( I am not sure if they focused on marginal seats but that would have been smart if they did) the work did cause real disruption while it was being done, train lines closed down, roads blocked etc, but the removal usually took less than a year and was done mainly on weekends or at night to minimise disruption, giving the local residents well over a year in most cases to enjoy the fruits of the changes
its crazy now when you drive around Melbourne that these things you just accepted as a part of life, causing massive traffic jams at peak hour (the Nunnawadding one near a freeway exit was a true nightmare) are now all gone, plus they took the opportunity to moderniser the Stations while they were at it so train commuters got to see the benefits too
I really think someone like you James who is interested in infrastructure and abundance while trying to show the political benefits, would really get something by spending some time properly looking into what the State Labor Govt in Victoria achieved politically with this project
Also reminded of this bridge in a London borough (Redbridge) closed for about 2 years so far - - very slow progress of various checks and no idea where the actual money will come from unless they can persuade central Govt to pay up :
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cxe88y5ypvlo
https://engage.redbridge.gov.uk/broadmead-road-bridge
Similar situation in folkestone kent with road of remembrance
this is a perfect example - and why those on the right who trash the state gain such traction. While the state does a lot for us, it doesn't feel like it, especially where intuitively so many problems should be able to be solved. The A432 bridge over the M4 closed in July 2023, but is still a building site.
Great read but depressing to read about yet another issue which makes me think that we're absolutely dusted as a nation.
what has become of Britain?
opening I-95 in Just 12 Days
When I-95 collapsed on Sunday, June 11, experts told the Shapiro Administration that reopening the roadway would take months. Governor Shapiro and Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT) Secretary Mike Carroll led an all-hands-on deck response – bringing local, state, and federal partners together with unions, contractors, and the private sector.
Crews worked around the clock – literally 24/7 – to demolish the damaged and collapsed highway, build an interim roadway, and reopen 6 lanes of traffic in each direction in just 12 days – months ahead of experts’ original predictions.
Read below for a timeline of the efforts the Shapiro Administration took to re-open I-95 in just 12 days:
June 11: On the day of the collapse, Governor Shapiro was immediately briefed(opens in a new tab) on the situation. Governor Shapiro then joined(opens in a new tab) PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll, the City of Philadelphia, and SEPTA to provide an update on the initial response to the I95 collapse. PennDOT personnel, including Secretary Carroll, were on site inspecting the roadway all day while the State Police were on the scene all day, assisting Philly Police in diverting traffic off I-95.
June 12: The very next day, Governor Shapiro issued(opens in a new tab) a proclamation of disaster emergency(opens in a new tab) for Philadelphia County in response to the I-95 fire and collapse to cut through the red tape and provide Commonwealth agencies with the resources needed to repair I-95 safely and as efficiently as possible.
After signing the proclamation, demolition immediately began and crews worked around the clock.
June 13: U.S. Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg traveled to Philadelphia to visit(opens in a new tab) and survey the incident of the site with PennDOT Secretary Mike Carroll. Governor Shapiro spoke to Secretary Buttigieg over the phone to update him on the Administration’s progress.
June 14: Governor Shapiro, Secretary Carroll, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, U.S. Department of Transportation Under Secretary for Policy Carlos Monje, Ryan Boyer from the Philadelphia Building Trades Council, and contractors announced(opens in a new tab) that the demolition of the damaged section of I-95 is expected to be complete that week – well ahead of schedule – and that the Administration, engineers, and contractors have developed a plan to safely and quickly reopen the roadway.
June 15: As Governor Shapiro promised at the June 14 press conference, a 24/7 live feed(opens in a new tab) of the construction site was set up “to chart our progress and give everyone a sense of timing as we move forward.” The same day, Governor ShapiroandPennDOT announced that the demolition of the damaged section of I-95 was complete(opens in a new tab) – days ahead of schedule – as the Shapiro Administration coordinated directly with partners at the city, state, and federal levels.
June 16: After the demolition was completed days ahead of schedule, crews began work(opens in a new tab) on building the interim roadway. A base of foamed glass aggregate – from Delaware County-based AeroAggregates(opens in a new tab) – was laid on the roadway to serve as the foundation as crews fill in the gap up to the surface level of I-95.
June 17: Governor Shapiro joined(opens in a new tab) President Biden for an aerial tour of the site, and then briefed the President on Pennsylvania’s around the clock work and coordination with federal officials to reopen the roadway safely and quickly.
June 20: At a press conference at the site, Governor Shapiro announced(opens in a new tab) that I-95 will reopen the following weekend, ahead of the originally projected two-week timeline. Thanks to the coordinated partnership of PennDOT, the Biden Administration, the U.S. Department of Transportation, the City of Philadelphia, and the hard work of the Philadelphia Building Trades, crews made fast progress to rebuild I-95 within two weeks of the collapse.
June 23: Just 12 days after the collapse, Governor Shapiro and Secretary Carroll officially reopened(opens in a new tab) six lanes of traffic on I-95, culminating a coordinated state, local, and federal response to reopen the roadway safely and as quickly as possible, and efforts were ahead of schedule each step of the way to get traffic flowing on I-95 again.
3 years to do the actual construction to fix!!!
Yeah there was time wasted in getting it approved to be built, but once approved NorthConnex, a 9km long tunnel in the northern suburbs of Sydney that is 90 metres underground and runs under major suburban centres and housing estates took less time than that to build and that includes the time they spent using all the dirt from the tunnel to fill in a local quarry to create a new park
What the hell is wrong with my old country, it seems every time England is mentioned at family gatherings around Christmas or whatever, the words ‘thank eff we emigrated’ get used at least once
On access to the site, would letting surveyors in really disrupt the business there? What kind of equipment do surveyors tend to bring in for situations like this? I was thinking long-lens cameras and little else, but I know nothing of this world.
Yeah, can't claim detailed knowledge but talking to the manager of the business at the bottom of the cliff, it sounds like they basically wanted him to move his business out entirely. (Presumably knowing it would be a massive fix.)
It feels to me that a functioning government would be able to offer the demolition business a new site temporarily and to cover the expenses associated with a move. I can’t help thinking there’s a lot of penny wise pound foolish decisions being taken all over. Ditto Thames Water digging up the same road dozens of times when they could probably have replaced the entire section of main for a fraction of the cost.
On costs, permissions, and the process hoops. Modern Britain at its most sclerotic. My little example is the road outside the front door being repeatedly dug up as the quality was not to specification. But not to worry it’s all part of GDP.
Ironic that Hammersmith Bridge has already absorbed (dissipated?) £48 million
I'm sure the residents of Dartford would be delighted to learn that they have become the newest London borough.