City Fibre’s rollout of a fibre optic network across Southend-on-Sea is continuing, with the need of four nights of works, set to begin on a major route into and out of the City.
Following the works at Cuckoo Corner and the surrounding area back in October 2022, City Fibre have now completed duct installations in neighbouring roads and is ready to start installing fibre cables into the area.
To ensure the safety of the workforce and the public, Victoria Avenue (the junction of Cuckoo Corner to the junction of Fairfax Drive), and Prince Avenue (A127- junction of Rochford Road to the junction of Victoria Avenue) will both have lane closures and a speed reduction to 30mph.
The works are due to take place from Thursday 9 February to Monday 13 February between the hours of 9pm and 5am.
In addition to the above, Prince Avenue A127 (between junction of Rochford Road and Victoria Avenue) will need to be closed for 3 hours in the early hours of Sunday 12 February, between approximately 00:30am and 3:30am.
Any residents affected by the side road closures will be written to by City Fibre and will still be provided access where required.
Signage will be in place for the duration of the works, with variable message signs (VMS) updating motorists as they enter the City and regular updates will be provided on the council’s social media accounts.
Cllr Steven Wakefield, cabinet member for transport, highways and parking, said: “Following the recent traffic issues in the vicinity of Cuckoo Corner due to work on Sutton Road, Rochford, which falls under Essex County Council’s remit, we believe that the works taking place over four nights will cause significantly less inconvenience for motorists. We do however acknowledge that the night work may cause some disturbance to some of our residents and we apologise in advance for those affected.
“Nevertheless, Cuckoo Corner is a very busy route and so I would urge all motorists, residents and visitors to keep an eye on the council’s social media pages for regular updates and to plan their journeys accordingly.
“City Fibre is on hand to answer any questions residents might have about the work, and in addition, the Council will endeavour to manage and resolve any issues raised.
“City Fibre has been carrying out work to deliver a state-of-the-art full fibre network across our City since 2020. This work is vital for the economic recovery of Southend, and for our attractiveness as a place to live, work and invest in.
“It is important that we facilitate these works to maximise the potential of the City, and to provide residents and businesses with fibre optic speeds, which is more important than ever given the new ways we are all working.”
The City Fibre contact number for any issues inside of the hours of 7am - 7pm is 0800 083 6160 and the 24-hour emergency contact is 0800 298 6267. Alternatively, the link for the enquiry form can be found on the City Fibre website.
Residents can keep up to date with all traffic management across the City by visiting One Network.
For regular updates, please see the council’s highways Twitter account, @SouthendHighway.