New headache for drivers as A5 closing for night work
The A5 between Shrewsbury and Telford will be closed will be closed for five nights to allow resurfacing work to be carried out.
The road will be closed to allow the work to be carried out on the slip road on the eastbound carriageway of the M54 at junction seven for Wellington.
The slip road and the eastbound carriageway of the A5 from the Preston island on the outskirts of Shrewsbury to the start of the motorway will be closed between 7pm and 7am from November 20.
Traffic will be diverted off the A5 at the Emstrey roundabout and along the B5061 to join the M54 at junction seven.
Purnima Kaul, Highways Agency project manager, said: "The existing carriageway is worn and requires repairing to maintain a safe running surface for the travelling public. To do that safely we need to close the road, so people should allow extra time for their journeys."
Overnight closures have been in force on the route in recent weeks as part of major roadworks to reconfigure the Emstrey and Preston islands near Shrewsbury.
The major scheme is on schedule to finish at the end of the year, although it still depends on how harsh the weather conditions will be.
The £3.8 million improvement scheme began earlier this year, causing headaches for motorists.
Sam Harris, a spokesman for the Highways Agency, said: "It is weather dependant how much progress we can make.
"It is one factor that would affect the works, and that is common sense. We don't know what kind of weather we are going to get at the moment.
£It has been quite mild so far but there is an element of unpredictability. We are doing all we can to finish on schedule.£
She said the agency had sympathy with motorists who regularly travel the route but said the road closures had been needed to get the project finished.
Motorists have been stuck in delays during rush hour and over holiday periods, with queues stretching for miles around both roundabouts, near Shrewsbury, and the surrounding diversions.
Work to lay down the base of the A5 westbound as well as Emstrey Bank has been completed.
The Highways Agency says motorists will reap the benefits of an improved road system once they are completed. But the upheaval is a problem for thousands of frustrated motorists heading across the county every day – as well as business leaders attempting to carry on trading.
