The year of discontent for Ludlow motorists and traders is set to continue with news that roadworks will take place on the A49 town by-pass from Monday, lasting some two months.
The start coincides with the re-opening of Lower Corve Street next week to single lane traffic in and out of the town – but the works, at the Rocks Green roundabout, are still likely to bring jams.
Anthony Aston, for the Highways Agency, said all working would be in off-peak hours (9.30am to 3.30pm) and in the late evenings from about 7pm. There would be no weekend working unless absolutely necessary.
He told the Journal: “The Agency is doing this work on behalf of South Shropshire Housing Association. Planning consent given by the district council requires the highway works to be completed before any properties can be occupied.”
The work, costing £0.25m, is to install a pedestrian crossing for residents of the new SSHA homes at Rocks Green and re-surface the road with a non-slip material.
At first there will be men working on the verges with restricted lane width both ways. Later on traffic be controlled by lights.
Mr Aston said: “Traffic restrictions will only be in place outside of peak hours. We do not believe these works will have any impact on Ludlow Food Festival.”
Lib Dem district councillor Heather Kidd said: “This is not good news for the traders. I’m not sure that they understand the chaos this could cause. They seem to have forgotten that Ludlow is a tourist centre and this is August. Tailbacks could be significant on this main trunk road and were in the school holidays too!
“The Highways Agency have had the chance to complete this work since the beginning of the year – and they chose to do this work now, in August, in the school holidays when the traffic and people visiting Ludlow are at their height.
“If that is not bad enough, they start the work when the Burway Bridge is still closed. It beggars belief that a national agency can be this insensitive to the needs of a town which it getting back on its feet.”
Graeme Kidd, for the Ludlow Chamber of Trade and the Food Festival said: “These roadworks are not going to be helpful to day-to-day business in Ludlow, and it seems the re-opening of Lower Corve Street may be delayed. It’s just not Ludlow’s year!
“Hopefully, contractors AmeyMouchel won’t be working over the weekend of the Food Festival but we can see major problems ahead if traffic is slowed down.”
l Meanwhile. preparatory work on Ludlow’s Breadwalk, to enable the passage of heavy machinery, is now completed and the important work of the revetment of 70 metres of the river bank starts on Monday.
The Breadwalk will be closed from 8am to 5pm every Monday to Friday for the next six weeks.
Alan Poulton, chairman of trustees, asks everyone to heed the warning notices. The trustees apologise for the temporary loss of this amenity but work must be done before the end of September as required by the Environment Agency.