Chaos here kept Nuneaton clear
M1 junction closure for neighbours
TRANSPORT authorities have revealed one of the factors for a long diversion due to the closure of the M69/A5 roundabout was to avoid congestion through Nuneaton.
Drivers heading into Burbage and Hinckley were forced into an extended journey during the weekend shutdown in June.
Many took to social media to complain about having to travel miles out of their way or suffer crawling traffic in local gridlocked jams.
The uproar prompted borough and county councillor Stuart Bray to write to Leicestershire County Council asking for answers and a pledge to prevent such chaos in the future.
His letter to transport chiefs said: “As you may be aware this week saw a road closure for works near at the M69/A5 roundabout. I have had a number of complaints and there has been much comment on social media about the gridlock this caused. People said even on Sunday it was taking more than 45 mins to get through Burbage.
“I realise that this stretch is Highways England’s responsibility largely but are there any lessons that can be learnt to prevent inconvenience on this scale in the future? I would be grateful if you could get officers to look at this when they have further discussions with Highways England.”
It took two months for Cllr Bray to get a reply from the county highways department with an offic- er saying his comments would be taken on board at an upcoming meeting and the diversion route was chosen because it was suitable for high-sided vehicles and was the preferred route.
Meanwhile after contacting Highways England, which is responsible for the motorway network, The Hinckley Times received this response: “While extensive planning went into ensuring that disruption during the A5/ M69 resurfacing scheme was kept to a minimum we recognise that there were some issues with the diversion route signage during the full weekend closure at M69/A5 island and approach from Burbage in June. As soon as the problem was reported we acted quickly to rectify the signage and ensure drivers had all the information they needed.
“The signed diversion route via the M69/M6 and M42 did add a considerable distance to drivers journeys and this was to ensure that local authorities roads around Nuneaton were not adversely affected by additional traffic during the busy weekend shopping period.
“We would like to apologise to our customers for any inconvenience caused. The resurfacing scheme has now been completed which will help keep this section of the road safe and reliable for many years to come.
The works carried out included partial reconstruction of the roundabout carriageway, resurfacing, replacement of road markings and reflective road studs, drainage repairs and reinstating traffic signal detection loops.