TRAFFIC CHAOS ALERT AS LIGHTS ARE BACK ON BUSY CITY ROUTE

Dave Work is part of £15m electricity upgrade

MOTORISTS are facing weeks of disruption on two neighbouring routes as a multi-million electricity upgrade rumbles on.

Temporary traffic lights have returned to Milton and Baddeley Green as Western Power carries out a £15 million project.

Work is taking place on Leek New Road through Baddeley Green close to the Trentfields Road junction and on Baddeley Green Lane.

It is part of an upgrade of 10.5km of the city’s 132kv electricity network to support thousands of ‘low carbon technologies’ including making it possible for more people to charge up electric vehicles.

New cable is being installed between the substations at Cellarhead and Chatterley Whitfield – which has seen parts of Bagnall Road in Milton, Luzlow Lane in Bagnall, and parts of Bemersley Road outside Ball Green shut.

At one stage five-way lights at Milton crossroads caused long delays – prompting the power supplier to reduce them to four-way.

As the project continues, temporary lights have returned to Baddeley Green Lane – close to the junction of Norbury Avenue. Meanwhile, on Leek New Road temporary lights are in place near the junction of Alicia Way. A section of Bagnall Road is also shut. Motorists have been warned the temporary lights could be in situ until the end of July.

Meanwhile the closure on part of Bagnall Road will stay in force until July 15 – but Western Power is hoping to open it up and put in temporary lights ‘for the final stages of the work’.

The spokeswoman added: “Both sets of temporary lights are due to remain in place until the end of July. The road closure is scheduled to remain in force until July 15 but we are doing all we can to switch to temporary lights for the final stages of the work.”