Concerns about diversion during eight-week Shifnal road closure
People living in new build homes along a road to be closed for eight weeks have raised concerns about the diversion route.
Coppice Green Lane in Shifnal closed on Monday and will remain closed 24 hours a day until September.
But today, residents living in the David Wilson Homes and Barratt Homes new build developments on the road said their main concern is regarding the diversion.
James Griffiths, who lives in the development, said: "The diversion forces all traffic; farm vehicles at peak harvest times, residents commuting to work, removal lorries, delivery lorries, building supply lorries etc, down a narrow winding lane.
"There's already been reports of near misses and larger vehicles intimidating drivers and this is only at the start of the roadworks.
"We appreciate the need for the work to be carried out and we take the safety of school children very seriously but the diversion is not fit for purpose.
"The diversion is an accident waiting to happen."
The council says the work is to locally widen the road to enable two large vehicles to pass one another without having to ride up on the footway.
It says it has become an issue as the pith is used by both school children to Idsall School and pedestrians walking from a new housing estate built further up the road into town.
The road and footway will be moved over and there are the associated works that go with this.
It says that the works will extend beyond the six week school holidays and may well continue into October but that it won’t know the full timescale until further into the scheme as there are public utilities apparatus that need moving and timescales are difficult to pin down.
Councillor Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "The signed diversion route is the best alternative for minimum inconvenience during the works.
"It is appreciated that this is a rural lane that must be driven with caution with the increase in vehicular traffic.
"However we are working with both our consultants and contractor to ensure the closure periods are kept to a minimum and will reopen the carriageway when possible.
"The total closure of the road is necessary to protect the workforce and provide adequate working space which could not be achieved using alternative traffic management. Access will be provided at all times for emergency vehicles on call."
