Bit of a non story for locals:
“We have a legal obligation to publish an official diversion route which is on the same class road as the closure and is suitable for all vehicles, including HGVs,” he said.
“As with any road closure, drivers are free to use their own local knowledge and judgement to seek their own alternatives.”
Also remember that distances quoted for diversion routes are to drive from one end of the closure to the other, which hardly anyone is going to need to do.
In reality, through traffic will be diverted off before the closure and rejoin some distance beyond it, so the additional distance won’t be anywhere near the figure given.
And of course the signed diversion route has to be suitable for all traffic and the volume of traffic, but drivers are still free to use other roads which may be suitable for their vehicle.
The closure is 150 meters long and at the point I have marked in the middle of the map.
And this is the signed route to get from one end of the closure to the other, as the council are required to do.
But I’m sure you can work for yourself how to get passed via local roads. Had the council signed the road through Cross as the diversion, the locals would be complaining about trucks passing their houses all night.
Through traffic would be best to avoid the A38 altogether and use the M5, or at least A370 to J21, to get to or from Bristol.
The roadworks are 50 metres
The closure is 150 metres long according to the legal notice on the council’s website. Not that it makes much difference anyway as there is a nearby road which adds a few metres to a journey which those who want to can use. The signed diversion route follows the nearest A roads.
The petrol station might loose a bit of passing trade, but I don’t know why the owner of the pub in Lower Wear is getting so upset. Does he think his customers going to play skittles can’t work out how to get passed?
The councel workers will have to put a load of those diversion signs out all along the route surely.
On the subject of diversions, the B2163 is currently shut for about the fifth time in the last 9 months, requiring a diversion. This time it seems that the council have sacked the bonehead who, for the previous 4 occasions, thought that this with its right angle bends was a suitable diversion in both directions for HGV.