Warning of temporary lights at Shrewsbury roundabout for 'few weeks' after rush hour gridlock

National Highways experts have been on site on Wednesday at the giant Emstrey roundabout just hours after delays caused huge gridlocks around Shrewsbury and tailbacks towards Wellington.

Richard Timothy, National Highways Route Manager, said: “We know that the changes to the road layout have caused significant delays today and we appreciate how frustrating that can be for drivers.

“Changes will always cause some delays as drivers familiarise themselves with the new layout. But we are on site today to see if any alterations can be made to ease traffic flow such as adjusting the signal timings.

“Hopefully we will quickly see some improvement but we will continue to monitor the situation and do all we can to help keep traffic moving safely.”

Delays of up to 90 minutes were reported around Shrewsbury this morning.

National Highways installed temporary traffic lights at the Emstrey Roundabout on the A5 outside the county town. On Wednesday, the first morning with the new lights installed, drivers were left queuing on a number of major roads around Shrewsbury, with traffic stretching back to within a mile of the end of the M54 at Wellington.

However, motorists have been warned the temporary lights will remain in place until the repairs on the main signals can be carried out.

High-tech equipment was demolished in a crash last month, and chiefs said they haven't been able to get the spare parts to repair the signals.

A route manager for National Highways, based in Birmingham, said safety was their number one priority which lead them to install temporary traffic lights.

Mr Timothy said: “We understand people are concerned about the loss of some traffic lights on the roundabout following the recent road traffic collision.

"Safety is always our number one priority and we want people to feel safe on our roads, so we have now installed temporary signals.

“Unfortunately the three control boxes which manage traffic lights on half of the roundabout were totally destroyed in the collision. Bespoke parts are needed to rebuild those boxes and will take a few more weeks to arrive.

“In the meantime, the temporary lights, additional traffic management and extra signs will help to maintain safety at the roundabout though we appreciate there will be some delays for drivers. We would urge drivers to continue to take extra care when using the junction and allow more time for journeys."

Three control boxes on the roundabout were destroyed when hit by a vehicle and the site contaminated due to an oil leak.

National Highways has said the control boxes, which manage traffic lights on half of the junction, need to be moved which will involve design work and surveys to ensure other utilities are avoided.

The agency has recently commissioned a study to investigate a number of road traffic collisions on the eastbound approach to this roundabout and whether action could be taken to help prevent further incidents.

They are designing new safety measures as a result and continue to work with police and support their efforts to address speeding issues in this area.

Last month's crash was not the first time the lights on the eastbound carriageway of the A5 at Emstrey Island have been taken out.

In December last year a car crashed through the lights before landing in the middle of the roundabout. The lights were repaired in late January, more than a month after being wiped out.