Bridgnorth bypass delays ‘will be at minimum’
Motorists have been reassured that disruption will be kept to a minimum when give months of roadworks start on Bridgnorth's bypass.
The roundabout approaches between the A458/B4373 Wenlock Road junction and the Stourbridge Road roundabout will also be included in the works.
Bridgnorth's mayor Ron Whittle said: "We don't know whether it's going to involve full closures or traffic lights yet.
"As a general rule if it involves any full closures it's going to cause problems in the town.
"But it depends if it can be done at off-peak times.
"If it's a matter of traffic lights, it probably wouldn't present much of a problem.
"Sometimes these jobs have to be done, we've got to live with it for a time, I'm just hoping they do whatever they can to minimise disruption."
Bridgnorth's Chamber of Commerce chairman added that the works were a "necessary evil".
Steve Robbins said: "It's a necessary evil, the works have got to be done.
"The important thing is how it's done. If they maximise the amount of employees to do it as quickly as possible and make sure at least one carriage is kept open for as much time as they can, it should be ok.
"There's a possibility they may have to close it completely, but it is possible to do it without it adversely affecting the town.
"It's going to increase the traffic going over the bridge, which gets backed up anyway, Shropshire Council could turn off one set of traffic lights at one end of the bridge to ease issues."
Steve Brown, Shropshire Council’s highways, transport and environmental maintenance manager, said it was the first significant work carried out on the road since its creation.
The bypass project will see the replacement of bridge expansion joints on the Bridgnorth River Severn Bridge, along with concrete repairs to the bridge and works on the bridge parapets.
The Severn Valley Railway overbridge will also be repainted and the A458 and the roundabout approaches will be resurfaced.
Road signs and road markings will be replaced and refreshed, and footpaths will be repaired.
The street lighting and safety barriers will also be updated, and drainage improvements will be carried out.
Work is due to start on July 4 and is expected to be finished by November 10.
