Cambridge-St Ives Guided Bus: Track 'cracks are not a problem'

CAMBRIDGESHIRE County Council has reassured the public that its multi-million guided busway is not in danger of cracking up. CCC issued a statement after a Hunts Post reader took photographs of cracks which have appeared in parts of the concrete track on

CAMBRIDGESHIRE County Council has reassured the public that its multi-million guided busway is not in danger of cracking up.

CCC issued a statement after a Hunts Post reader took photographs of cracks which have appeared in parts of the concrete track on which the Cambridge to St Ives buses will eventually run.

Roy Smith, 70, of Hemingford Grey, took the photographs of the track at Fen Drayton, close to the RSPB site, while out walking his dog.

The former parish and district councillor, who was a member of the planning committee in the 70s, said: "I thought I would have a look at the edge of the track and I saw these cracks.

"They started as hairline cracks, but over a period of about a month more and more have appeared. Some of them spread out for about two metres.

"The county council has said there are 'Vs' built into the concrete every few metres to encourage the concrete to crack - well it's certainly doing that."

Bob Menzies, CCC's head of delivery for the guided busway, said everything was as expected with the track, including the cracks.

"Every beam has a steel reinforcement inside that works with the concrete to make sure the beams can cope with the strains put on them," he explained. "The concrete cracking is expected, it does not have any effect on how long they will last, and is allowed for in the design."

Following a series of delays the original April 2009 opening of the busyway has slipped to November, with the contractors BAM Nuttall saying it will hand over the finished route at the end of October.

The 25-km guideway was expected to cost �116.2million, but The Hunts Post believes the project has a �30million overrun.