More questions over 'massively frustrating' A41 closure for £1 million roadworks

The A41 is fully closed from the Forton roundabout to Hinstock until at least September 3 to allow ‘essential’ works to repair the road.

The ‘major improvements works’ costing £1 million include road resurfacing, new drainage systems and upgrades to road signs and lines.

To avoid taking a 29-mile diversion motorists have instead been using a network of country lanes, causing heavy traffic with passing vehicles also damaging garden walls and buildings.

Telford & Wrekin councillor for Edgmond, Stephen Burrell, says that currently roadworks are taking place roughly between 9am and 3pm, but the main route remains closed through the evening and night. He has questioned why a 24-hour road closure was necessary.

“That is causing massive frustration, why should residents be effectively cut off from using that road for 168 hours a week when there is less than 35 hours per week work being conducted,” said Cllr Burrell.

“The only blokes that are working around the clock are the poor people who are manning the barriers and dealing with frustrated residents.

“The key frustration is that Telford & Wrekin Council think that forcing traffic through these country roads is safer than doing a phased partial closure of the A41.

“Also the lack of consultation and lack of any meaningful business case. Lessons clearly haven’t been learnt since the last closure in 2007 when the road was partially re-surfaced through Chetwynd Firs.

“At that point in time there was a decent amount of consultation with residents and the work was mainly carried out during the night so that the road remained navigable during the day.

“But none of this has been done this time around. There is quite a considerable degree of flat-out frustration.”

Cllr Burrell is set to meet with the Balfour Beatty works manager and an officer from Telford & Wrekin Council next week as well as a small group of residents.

He also claims that there is also an inconsistent approach for those manning the barriers with some motorists asked for their names, addresses and phone numbers while other locals are let through with just their car registration plate number logged.

When the road closure was first introduced last month the country lanes surrounding the A41 were brought to a gridlock as motorists scrambled to find the quickest alternative route.

Cllr Burrell said while larger vehicles are now avoiding the country lanes other motorists are speeding through.

He added that there will need to be a financial package put together for damage to buildings and walls which have been struck during the roadworks.

“Certainly with HGV drivers as word is getting round that the (lanes) route is not navigable,” added Cllr Burrell.

“There are far fewer larger vehicles going through, but there is still major frustration around smaller vehicles and the speeds that they are traversing down the lanes is the real overriding concern.

“Certainly a significant minority of those miles and routes are single-track. It’s fine if you are local as you know where the single-track bits are.

“If somebody is trying to get from Wolverhampton to Stoke-on-Trent then they wouldn’t know these roads. People are speeding down them lanes like they are still on the A41 which is really causing the problems.

“There is a lot of additional damage to what were already potholed country roads. Following the closure being lifted the council will really have to put some funding behind some surface patching on these lanes prior to the winter.

“There is no clear case as to why the road needed to close.”

A statement from Telford & Wrekin Council said: “The project costing in excess of £1m has been meticulously planned with our contractor Balfour Beatty Living Places – all options have been explored and we simply cannot dig up and resurface whole sections of road and replace drainage systems under temporary traffic lights or overnight closures as it would extend the duration of the project further still.”