Relief as A490 roadworks reduced to just two weeks from the original 10
Planned roadworks which would have closed a main route thorough the region for 10 weeks during the day have been dramatically reduced.
Shropshire Council's highways department has agreed to the changes after shopkeepers on the A490 from Churchstoke to Chirbury said two and a half months of regular closures at peak times would "kill" their business. The works, set to start from Monday, were to see full closure every day from 9am and 3pm until the middle of November. Now there will be only two weeks of 9am to 3pm closures, followed by night-time closures from 8pm to 6am.
The changes were announced following a meeting of Shropshire Council officers with Heather Kidd, Shropshire Councillor for Chirbury and Worthen.
As part of the meeting Councillor Kidd handed over an 800-signature petition from traders, residents and road users calling for the roadworks schedule to be altered.
The petition was started by Barbara Morris at Chirbury Post Office and Stores, who said the original closures could have marked the end of her business and would have certainly meant her laying off staff if they went ahead.
She was joined in her objections by Julie and Martin Luck, who run the Herbert Arms pub in Chirbury.
Both businesses said they could not survive on custom from the village alone, but relied on passing trade on the main route which runs from Churchstoke to Welshpool, passing through south west Shropshire on the way.
Mrs Morris said: "Heather has been brilliant and I'm thrilled to bits. It's a giant relief.
"I can put up with a fortnight, but 10 weeks of closures would have killed me.
"There were 842 signatures on the petition and actually I've had another two sheets handed in today.
"It's amazing, people were coming to the shop just to sign the petition, because they had read about it in the paper.
"There were lots of people who came in here and said 'there's no point, they've made up their minds' but I thought this way, at least I know I did everything I could have done to stop it happening."
Councillor Kidd said: "The petition and some negotiation worked.
"The road closure has been improved enormously."
She said the longer closures at night meant workmen doing more hours a day, so in total the works would be seven weeks instead of 10.
"There will be maintained access to Priest Weston as well and there will be improved signing making it clear that Lower Lane and so on is not good for heavy traffic and it will be clear that the road to Shrewsbury is open to all traffic.
"There may well be day time 'stop' and 'go' boards but the road will be open," she said.
"I'm really, really pleased that the council officers have listened to this and were able to be that flexible – and could actually accommodate the life of the village," she added.
