More woe for drivers as key Telford road to be closed for major construction works
A key road into Telford town centre will close for five weeks to make way for major construction works.
The work to build a new roundabout at the junction of Malinsgate, Woodhouse Central and Coach Central will mean that Malinsgate will be closed to traffic heading out of the town centre.
The work forms part of the "box road" scheme, a multi-million pound project to improve access for all to Telford town centre, including pedestrians and cyclists, and accommodate new developments like the £450 million Southwater complex.
The road will close on Tuesday for five weeks, and will mean vehicles will not be able to travel from Coach Central to Malinslee roundabout. Vehicles will however be able to travel from Malinslee roundabout, along Malinsgate towards Woodhouse Central.Vehicles heading to Malinslee roundabout from Coach Central will be diverted via Woodhouse Central, Forge Gate and Hall Park Way. The Malinsgate closure has been timed to coincide with the completion of works on the Forge roundabout at M54 Junction 5.
Councillor Hilda Rhodes, cabinet member for customer services, libraries and transport, said: "We understand that this may add a couple of minutes on to journey times and we are sorry for any inconvenience.
"However, I really want to reiterate how essential these works are.
"Telford town centre is growing significantly with the Southwater development and the planned development to Telford Shopping Centre, and traffic levels are going to increase greatly over the coming years.
"The improvement works are being undertaken now so that by the time traffic levels have increased, the road system will be in place and fit for purpose, reducing future disruption."
The work to transform the box road scheme is costing a total of £11.8 million. Telford & Wrekin Council has appointed Ringway Infrastructure Services as the managing contractor for the scheme, which is expected to be completed by spring 2015.
The first phase of the scheme included the Malinslee roundabout and St Quentin Gate, which were completed in time for the opening of the new Asda superstore last month.
