Drivers braced for roadworks chaos
DRIVERS are bracing themselves for 10 days of misery with a key section of the Silk Road set to close.
National Grid say they are being forced to shut off part of the road in order to paint and carry out repair work to electricity pylons along the route.
Huge traffic disruption was caused by the closure of part of the road in 2010 when similar work was carried out, but managers say that they hope to keep minimum to a disruption to a minimum this time around.
Councillor Nick Mannion said residents should prepare themselves for ‘pain’ with inevitable traffic problems ensuing.
Coun Mannion, who works at Tesco on Hibel Road, said: “It’s going to be a nightmare. It’s inevi- table that there will be congestion because of the already high level of traffic, and it’s going to cause great inconvenience, especially for those living on the diversion route.”
The Silk Road will be completely closed from the roundabout at Bollington Road to the roundabout at Hulley Road, with drivers redirected along Manchester Road and London Road.
Coun Mannion added that Hibel Road roundabout, which has already been identified by the council as a ‘pollution hotspot’ due to the high volume of traffic, will also be affected.
He said: “The level of congestion at Hibel Road is so bad it’s breaching the maximum air pollution limit due to the stop start traffic, so this diversion is not going to help the situation.”
But Councillor Mannion conceded that the work must be done. He said: “People are going to moan and groan but it has to be done if we want a reliable electricity supply.
“They are doing it in the summer when the volume of traffic is lighter and they are giving people plenty of notice to arrange alternative routes or transport.”
The bypass will be closed from Friday, August 4, to Sunday, August 13.
The work is part of a £8m project to replace 50-year-old overhead power lines that run between Macclesfield and Bredbury, in Stockport.
Ryan Hatcher, National Grid project manager said: “People may recall that we worked on this overhead power line around six years ago when we refurbished one side of the line.
“We usually try and do both sides as part of the same project but this line is a little different. Each side runs at a different voltage and splits off to connect to a different part of the grid, meaning we couldn’t do both sides together without turning off the electricity supply.
“We have planned carefully to minimise disruption during this essential maintenance work that will keep power flowing uninterrupted along this line, helping keep the lights on in Cheshire and beyond.”
A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council said: “In order to help keep road closures or disruption to a minimum, Cheshire East Council’s highways team and Ansa environmental services workers will use the opportunity provided by the National Grid closure to carry out a number of maintenance activities, while the road is already closed. We thank road users in advance for their understanding and we continue to work with utility companies and other partners to keep any road disruptions to a minimum.”