Roads bosses thank 'patient' A5 drivers with lanes open again after long delays near Shrewsbury
Drivers caught in rush hour queues at a busy Shrewsbury roundabout after lanes were closed for emergency repairs have been thanked for their patience by highways bosses.
Multiple lanes at the major Emstrey island carrying the A5 around Shrewsbury were shut on Thursday, after a crash in the early hours.
National Highways said that signal poles were damaged in the crash at about 2am on Thursday, and that the lanes were shut so crews working on the roundabout could make the repairs.
The closures led to queues throughout Thursday on the A5 southbound between the Emstrey and Preston islands, with a knock-on effect on the westbound A5 approaching the Preston roundabout.
It was worst at the start and end of the work day, with traffic delayed by up to 37 minutes at times. Highways workers then worked through Thursday night to repair the signal poles and reopen the lanes for Friday morning.
National Highways route manager Richard Timothy said: “Emergency repairs have been carried out at the A5 Emstrey Island following a collision yesterday in which two traffic signal poles on a pedestrian crossing on the westbound approach were severely damaged.
“Crews worked through the night to repair the damage and replace the poles which meant the pedestrian crossing could be brought back into use and all lanes were this morning open for traffic.
“We are grateful to people for their patience while we responded to this incident and got the road open as quickly as possible.”
The latest repair project at the Emstrey island is in addition to long-term works to repair traffic lights at the junction caused by a previous crash on the eastbound approach.
The permanent repairs are expected to be completed by January 20.
