Three-month road closure advice for South Derbyshire drivers
South Derbyshire drivers are being advised of a road closure that could have implications for their journeys for the next three months.
Staffordshire County Council has announced a major scheme to safeguard the future use of two gateways into Burton and boost the local economy.
The £6.1m project, which gets under way on 29 August 2017, will firstly allow vital strengthening work on St Peter’s Bridge to allow HGVs to continue to access the town, along with waterproofing and resurfacing. This will be followed by improvements to Burton Bridge in the New Year.
Mark Deaville, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member responsible for highways, said: “This is an important investment in the gateways to the town and will help make a real difference to the long-term prosperity of people in Burton.
“The improvements will ensure that these bridges, which form vital links through Burton, will be free of unplanned and disruptive maintenance work in the future, and help support local businesses and economic growth.
“We know that the work will cause some disruption but we will be doing everything we can to minimise this and get the work done as efficiently as possible.
“I would ask people to bear with us as the work is carried out and thank them in advance for their cooperation and patience.”
Burton MP Andrew Griffiths, who lobbied the Government for the funding, said: “The investment in Burton’s bridges is fantastic news for everyone who lives and works in Burton and will deliver a real boost to the town’s economy.
“Now that we have secured the much-needed funding it will be great to see the work get under way and, while some inconvenience is inevitable, it is important that we all remember the long-term benefits this investment will bring.”
To allow the strengthening work to be carried out safely St Peter’s Bridge will be closed both ways, with traffic diverted via Burton Bridge and pedestrians via the Ferry Bridge.
Work is expected to be completed by the end of November.
Additionally, work on Burton Bridge including strengthening, resurfacing and upgrading gullies to help prevent surface flooding will also be carried out following the New Year break. During the work the bridge will be closed to all traffic, which will be diverted via St Peter’s Bridge.
The funding for the project is part of the multi-million pound Highway Challenge Fund by the Department for Transport. Nineteen projects across the country will receive a share of £75m of Government investment for essential road maintenance, to refurbish bridges, improve junctions and boost flood defences.
17 August 2017