Drivers face disruption for highways improvement projects
Motorists are facing delays on a major route for a £500,000 road safety improvement project.
The roadworks in Cannock is among a number of highway schemes being carried carried out across the region.
Staffordshire County Council which is carrying out £50 million worth of highways improvements said the money for the Cannock scheme has come from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.
It is being spent on new cycle lanes, pedestrian crossings and footpath improvements in Mill Street, Church Street and the Ringway, as well as a new link from Allport Road to Beecroft Road car park.
This scheme includes improving the existing crossing on A34 Ringway; installing a footway/cycleway along Church Street between Hednesford Road and Allport Road; improving the footpath between Mill Street and Church Street and access to Chase Centre Retail Park; new link from Beecroft Road Car Park to Allport Road; and improvements to street lighting and signs.
Traffic management will include some road closures as necessary including lane closures in Church Street between Queens Square roundabout and Lichfield Road roundabout and in Ringway.
Staffordshire’s cabinet member for highways and transport Councillor David Williams said: "This scheme will bring major improvements to cyclists and pedestrians in Cannock town centre – bringing better connectivity and contributing to its regeneration.
"It’s a significant investment through the Levelling Up Fund programme which we hope will encourage active travel participation.
"The scheme will take 12 weeks and we will need to put temporary traffic management in place. We appreciate this is a busy town centre location but would ask for people to allow extra travel time during this period and apologise for any inconvenience.”
Other roadworks being carried out in the county include extensive pothole filling after the recent rainfall and freezing temperatures resulted in carriageway defects.
Motorists are also facing months of overnight road closures due to work to resurface a busy stretch of the A5 in Cannock which has deteriorated.
The work is being be carried out by National Highways between the A5 and the A4601 at Longford Island and the A5 and the A460 at Churchbridge.
In addition, the county has invested in new hi-tech equipment such as the JCB Pothole Pro, Thermal Road Repairs, and ground breaking AI technology to aid pothole repair work.
Staffordshire County Council deputy leader Philip White said: “This year is going to be busiest year for quite some time. We have a lot of repairs going on, including upgrading junctions to resurfacing roads and carrying out routine repairs.
"We are investing heavily in our roads over the next three years, and we hope that people who live and work in Staffordshire will see the difference.”
Motorists will face 13 months of roadworks in Stafford due to Taylor Wimpey’s Marston Grange development off the A513 Beaconside, aimed to ease congestion and improve safety at the junction with A34 Stone Road.
