Cyclist travels length of A41 roadworks as workmen admit project might not be 'done within a month'
While motorists are being kept well away from the A41, one intrepid cyclist managed to dodge the barricades and travel the full length of the closed section.
The cyclist, who has asked not to be named, expected to be met by an army of road workers and possibly be prevented from getting on to the road.
Instead he only saw a handful and was allowed access to the road with little more than a shrug of the shoulders.
And one of the workers he did bump into questioned whether all the work would completed ahead of the expected reopening of the road on September 3, based on the progress made to date.
The closure runs from the Forton Roundabout on the outskirts of Newport to Telford and Wrekin’s northern boundary near Hinstock.
A planned 29-mile diversion sends drivers towards the A442 through Cold Hatton and Hortonwood but many residents have seen small country roads log-jammed with traffic as people seek alternative routes around the closure.
The cyclist, who took on the route on Friday morning, said: “They appear to have achieved very little considering the fact it has been ongoing for a couple of weeks. In fact there were more workers enforcing the diversion than actually attending to the roadworks.
“I managed to cycle the length of it and chatted one of the workmen. They said they would be surprised if all the work would be done within a month."
A spokesperson for Telford & Wrekin Council said on August 7: "The roadworks being carried out on the A41 are essential and running to schedule, with the road due to reopen on September 3 as planned.
“The project is being managed in the most efficient way possible, during the summer holiday period when traffic is at its lowest.
“We will continue to monitor the effects of the closure and are working hard behind the scenes to address issues raised by local residents as they arise.
“Entire sections of road will shortly have deep excavations.
“We continue to urge motorists to plan their journeys carefully, respect the speed limits and stick to the official diversions. We are aware of drivers choosing to ignore the road closures and this is totally unacceptable behaviour.”
Pictures taken by the cyclist show one stretch of the road in the process of being resurfaced, but with little activity going on. Other images reveal new patching to the carriageway, with some work also completed to tidy up verges and trees by the roadside.
He added: “At face value it appears that the work being done doesn’t really justify both the chaos caused by the diversion and the significant difficulties it has caused people with homes and businesses along the route."
Earlier this week, Sambrook Village Hall was filled with more than 60 residents from the small communities lining the A41 including Sambrook, Puleston, Pickstock, Tibberton and Ellerton, who gathered to share their grievances about the work and its impact on them.
