Knotweed burgeoning on the far side of the Quaggy where the bridge connects to Longhurst Road

A year’s delay likely

A large colony of Japanese knotweed is delaying Manor Park’s third entrance – the bridge over the Quaggy, linking the park to Longhurst Road. (See, Bridging the Gap, 30th January 2011.)

The work was scheduled for completion early this summer. It didn’t happen. The knotweed’s presence drastically altered the timetable. Such is the threat to any form of construction, the plant has first to be eradicated. Roots can penetrate concrete and tarmac and spread 20 feet in all directions. To get rid of it, digging isn’t an option – the smallest remaining fragment can start re-growth. The only solution is poisoning. Normally, the process takes a few years but a new technique should apparently see eradication by the end of the year.

It’s a frustrating scene. All sections of the bridge are in store but nothing can be done. It seems we’ll have to patiently wait. But once the all-clear’s given, construction and installation can follow immediately. So with luck, the bridge will be in place early in 2012.