More repairs needed for surface of £9.2m Hard Interchange in Portsmouth
FURTHER repairs to a four-year-old transport hub in the city are set to be carried out this week - adding to more than £160,000-worth of works undertaken since it opened.
Temporary road surfacing repairs will be carried out at the Hard Interchange, in Portsea, from May 12 for three nights.
Portsmouth City Council said work will take place over night to 'minimise disruption.'
Martin Lavers, Portsmouth City Council's assistant director for transport, said: 'We're sorry for the inconvenience caused to local residents and businesses while temporary repairs continue and we are very grateful for everyone's patience and understanding.
'Our aim is to replace the surface completely which will alleviate the current problems, so that the Interchange can withstand wear and tear for many years to come.
'We need to complete discussions with the designer and contractor which have unfortunately been delayed due to the pandemic.
'The ongoing costs for temporary repairs are part of the current discussions.'
The Hard Interchange opened in May 2017 at a cost of £9.2m to the council.
Since then it has undergone 10 repair jobs - mainly to its surface. A freedom of information request submitted by The News last year revealed the total spend on repairs by the council to be £163,773.54.
Previously concerns have been raised that the surface of the harbourside site, is sinking, although the council has confirmed this did not apply to the structure of the hub as well.
It is the council’s intention to completely replace its surface – although this has been held up by the coronavirus pandemic - and it is currently in discussion with the companies who dealt with the original design to create a permanent solution.
The freedom of information request also revealed throughout 2018 a total of two repairs were carried out – costing £28,772.59.
In 2019 five jobs were carried out on the surface of the interchange – at a cost of £54,613.73.
And in 2020 three jobs cost £74,231.57
Anyone that has any questions or concerns about the resurfacing should contact the contractor, Colas, on 023 9231 0900.
Designer RoC Consulting and contractor Osborne were responsible for the hub's original design.