The Nottingham Express Transit system, you either love it or hate it.
One thing is for sure, it is now the springboard for the next chapter in the SideTracked series and will hopefully provide a distraction for those doing the daily commute or just enjoying a day travelling around the extended network.
An amazing feat of engineering, the Ningbo Bridge was constructed in the car park areas below where the QMC stop is now situated and then when everything was ready it was manoeuvred into its position over the A52 with just one night of diversions required to get it into position and settled correctly onto its supports. As well as a means of getting the new tram lines across the A52 and providing direct access to the Queens Medical Centre and Circle Treatment Centre, the bridge provides a safe means for pedestrians crossing the A52 and saves them from the dangers of the old pedestrian crossings near the roundabout at Dunkirk (The island not the town in France!!) The QMC are working on having a new entrance directly from the platform area but this is going to require a rework of the internal layout on the floor it connects to in order to have the reception area and associated sign-age to assist people on their visit to the hospital. Unfortunately with the major upheavel and noise caused by the new tram lines construction it was decided to delay the internal alterations to minimise the disturbance to the patients, this has caused a bit of controvosy for some as they are getting the tram to the hospital only to be directed to the medilink bus stop for the ride around to the main entrance. When all the construction is complete and the dust has settled then it should be an excellent addition to the Nottingham area.
To access the cache take a walk over the new bridge from the stop towards the university and enjoy the views (usually of queueing traffic) that can be enjoyed from this new vantage point.