Tidying Up and Finishing Off
With sunshine now banishing the greyness of March and threat of warming temperature - thoughts turn to Easter and a whole new visitor season kicking off. Continuing work along Talbot Road and in Talbot Square is focussed on the completion of roadway and pavement infrastructure with need for clearing the detrius of contractors and materials by the onset of Easter holiday week.
Enlarged pavements around Talbot Square with distinctive paving now in place is a definite enhancement. New tram overhead poles have been embedded to take the strain of span wires needed over the three way track junction and roads whilst the new Talbot Square tram stop platform is almost complete with similar material.
Westbound traffic can traverse Talbot Road presently but the east flow up to Abingdon Street from the Promenade has yet to be freed up. In the meantime steelwork for the new hotel occupying the keynote triangular site of the former Yates Wine Lodge, is still continuing to be extended (upwards) with a further floor level being added this week. The hotel will make a huge difference to the overall appearance of Talbot Square - for the better. A lick of paint on the Town Hall window frames would also do much to improve this civic centre which looks extremely dowdy if not in a distressed state - particularly as it stands next to an even more tired and dilapidated Ibis franchise which was once the classic and well maintained 'Clifton Hotel'.
At the eastern end of the new tramway which abuts the pavement along the track heading to North Station - the newly installed tracks end abruptly directly in front of the Wilko store entrance. So no change here.
2019 - the new look to Talbot Square with tramtracks up Talbot Road (once more!)
1961 - the earlier scene with Yates Wine Lodge dominating the view and trams heading up Clifton Street to Marton from Talbot Square: Both Photos John Woodman
Virgin street track diamond crossing (imported of course) in Talbot Square
One way traffic on Talbot Road (for the moment).
Contractors at work. Where once Marton tram terminus saw frequent cars arriving and departing, in 2019 the final weeks of finishing off roadway, pavements and multiple signage greets passers by.
