Main road closure... with 30 mile detour
ONE of the main commuting routes in and out of Loughborough is to be closed for three weeks - with drivers facing a 30-mile detour if they follow the official diversion route.
The A60 Loughborough Road is having improvement works carried out on the section which goes through Bunny.
There will be three weeks of urgent drainage works with traffic lights in place, which were due to start on Monday, February 18; followed by three weeks of carriageway restructuring from March 11, with road closures from 6pm to 6am.
During this second period, the A60 will be closed from the junction with Keyworth Lane on the northern edge of Bunny, to Ash Lane near Costock.
And while local traffic can divert along nearby roads as necessary, the official signed diversion route (which has to follow the same class of road, suitable for HGVs) will take drivers 30 miles along the A60, A6006, A46, and A52.
Neil Hodgson, on behalf of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The works on the A60 in Bunny will be taking place over a period of up to six weeks and have been scheduled to minimise impact on the travelling public.
“The initial drainage works commence during half-term to keep disruption to a minimum, and whilst they are taking place for up to three weeks, we aim to have them completed as quickly as possible. This will be followed by structural patching works for up to three weeks, with all work due to take place overnight.
“The A60 is a major route in the county with over 13,000 vehicles using this section of road each day and these works will allow us to improve the road for all road users.”
According to the most recent statistics from the Department for Transport, from 2017, a total of 11,177 vehicles a day use the A60 through Bunny (counted traffic in both directions).
A letter has been sent to residents living near the work, apologising in advance for any inconvenience it may cause.
It said vehicular access to properties will be maintained wherever possible, but may be limited at times, and residents should follow the directions of traffic marshals at the scene.
It adds: “These works will generate some noise and we appreciate that it may cause some disruption at times, however every effort will be made to keep this to a minimum.”
Graham Norbury, chairman of Bunny Parish Council, said: “We are extremely pleased that, after years of delay, the resurfacing of the A60 is going to go ahead.
“However, it’s with some trepidation that we are anticipating the traffic lights and, especially, the road closures, which are likely to cause a significant amount of disruption.”
It will be carried out by Tarmac on behalf of Via East Midlands, which manages the county’s roads. All the timescales are subject to change, partly depending on bad weather and unforeseen circumstances.
But Via East Midlands also said it will do all it can to have the work completed more quickly than six weeks.
The work will restructure the road ahead of actual resurfacing which will take place later in the year.