Triple whammy of woe for drivers in Telford, Shrewsbury and Chirk

Today contractors insisted progress is being made and that everything is being done to reduce congestion.

It emerged today that one set of roadworks, on a roundabout in Telford, are now set to finish in May – more than a month later than originally planned.

Work to Ketley Brook roundabout will see the implementation of new signals called Mova which are adaptive and respond automatically to changes in traffic flow through the use of detectors embedded in the road.

It had been scheduled for completion by the end of March after being set to start in January. However, work did not get underway until six weeks later due to other ongoing projects in the borough, resulting in the later completion date.

The improvements are part of the wider £17.4 million Telford Growth Point Package, which has already seen work begin at Shawbirch Roundabout, Limekiln roundabout in Priorslee, Clocktower roundabout in Donnington, Trench Lock roundabout, at M54 junction 4, Rampart Way and the extension of the Hortonwood business park.

About £13.9m of this funding has been provided through the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership Local Growth Fund Deal.

The remaining funding will be provided through Section 106 contributions secured from new housing and employment developments.

Today, Russell Griffin, spokesman for Telford & Wrekin Council, said evening works will be finished on the roundabout tomorrow and all work will be completed on May 10.

Explaining the later completion date, he said: ""Due to the strategic position of Ketley Brook, and to minimise disruption on the network, we took the decision to wait until the programmed works of other Growth Point projects would not impede this project.

"Also there was no point in commencing works until after the Christmas and New Year break."

The new signals constantly monitor the volume of traffic passing through the junction from all directions and automatically adjust the timing of the lights to minimise delays for everyone using the junction.

Across the rest of the county, motorists could not have failed to notice a series of large scale roadwork programmes taking place over the last few months.

As well as work at Ketley Brook, two other projects in particular have caused delays. They are the work taking place at Gledrid roundabout at Chirk and Meole Brace roundabout in Shrewsbury.

Highways England are confident they are still on track to complete their work at Gledrid, near Oswestry, by the end of June.

The £700,000 improvement scheme started in January and Highways England said today they were pleased with how the work had gone.

Project manager Arasu Gurusamy, said: "We're on course to deliver by the end of June a safety improvement scheme around the Gledrid roundabout that includes widening the A5 approach and exits to the roundabout, footpath work, drainage, road marking and signing work, the replacement of lighting columns and carriageway resurfacing.

"We're working hard to minimise disruption while this takes place and would like to thank customers for their patience."

In Shrewsbury, Meole Brace roundabout is undergoing major remodelling work as part of the Shrewsbury Integrated Transport Package.

Machinery moved onto the roundabout in February, with partial closures and diversions coming into force. The roundabout work involves cutting a road through the middle of the island.

Earlier this month, the Roman Road approach to the island was also closed to allow for work to continue.

The work is all part of the £12 million SITP, which includes improved signs advising of best routes into the town centre to improve traffic flow, improvement work on major junctions and improvements for pedestrians in the town centre.

Matt Johnson, strategic transport and contracts manager, said: "The work to improve Meole Brace roundabout is now nearing completion, and this is the first phase of the wider 'key junctions' element of the Shrewsbury Integrated Transport Package (SITP). Shropshire Council and their partners Mouchel would like to thank Shrewsbury's road users and local businesses for their understanding and patience whilst the first phase of this important work is carried out. We'd also like to thank contractors McPhillips (Wellington) for their hard work, carried out in all weathers, which has ensured that the work is being carried out on time and on schedule.

"The work at Meole will ensure the roundabout continues to function effectively after the ongoing residential and business developments along Oteley Road are complete, In addition to this, accommodation for pedestrians and cyclists has been incorporated as a priority into the redesign of the roundabout, as can be seen in the brand new dedicated foot and cycle route. This feature, and additional signal-controlled crossings, will also greatly benefit the large number of football fans and event goers visiting the Greenhous Meadow, or shoppers visiting the retail park.

"The work at Meole Brace is the first stage of delivering c.£12m of inward investment to the Shrewsbury's roads and town centre over the next four years. The SITP will make it easier to travel in and around Shrewsbury as a motorist, cyclist, pedestrian or public transport user, build infrastructure fit for the planned growth of the town, and deliver a real step change to the town centre, by removing unnecessary through traffic from the town, and addressing traffic flows for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.

"Work at Meole Brace will be completed later this spring, at which time the programme will move onto the next junction improvement site, with the overall junctions programme due to be complete by the end of the year. We thank people for their continued patience during the delivery of these key improvements."