Fears A50 closures will add to road 'chaos'

Two weeks of overnight closures on two stretches of a major route between the M1 and M6 will add to "absolute chaos" on surrounding roads, a councillor says.

Starting on Tuesday, two sections of the A50 westbound from Doveridge in Derbyshire to Blythe Bridge, Staffordshire, are shutting between 20:00 and 05:00 BST on weeknights for resurfacing works.

In an update sent to affected residents, National Highways said the repairs were to ensure the route continued to "meet the required maintenance standards".

Councillor Stephanie Akerman, who chairs Checkley Parish Council, said existing works diverting traffic through the village of Tean were already causing a "pinch point".

She said overnight eastbound A50 closures over recent weeks coupled with temporary traffic lights on the main road through the village for pothole repairs had exacerbated congestion.

"None of our residents have been able to sleep at all," she said.

"There's been honking horns... revving engines, it's been an absolute nightmare.

"It's worse than what you'd see on a busy M6 or the A50 in Blythe Bridge when you're queuing."

She added the combination was also "causing absolute chaos for all the roads around the villages", and questioned why more than one set of roadworks had been permitted at the same time.

"There's a lack of conjoined thinking and just no joint planning," she said, calling for road planners to come out and assess the impact.

From Tuesday, Doveridge Bypass is closing overnight from Ashbourne Interchange to the Marston Lane junction for the A50 westbound resurfacing.

The Uttoxeter Bypass is shutting between the Tean roundabout and the A522 junction, but a short stretch of the carriageway around Uttoxeter will remain open.

The organisation added access for emergency service vehicles would be maintained in an emergency where safe.

A circuitous diversion route around both closures signposts drivers via Ashbourne, Froghall and Cheadle.

However, Akerman said drivers ignoring official diversions were following their sat-navs to end up in Tean and predicted traffic would now back up towards the villages of Fole and Checkley.

Staffordshire County Council said it was carrying out five days of pothole patching on Hollington Road and Cheadle Road in Tean, which had been programmed in for a month.

Cabinet member for highways Peter Mason said the county council was only made aware of the A50 scheme on Monday, and had raised concerns about the impact on residents.

"We have since liaised with National Highways to press for all mitigations possible to minimise disruption," he said.

"We did challenge their proposals due to other works taking place in the area."

National Highways told the BBC in a statement: "We understand it has been short notice and have notified residents at the earliest opportunity."

Last year, Burton and Uttoxeter MP Jacob Collier urged the government to back A50 upgrades between Stoke-on-Trent and Derbyshire to cut congestion and support local employers.

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