Mark Harper, MP for the Forest of Dean, has raised urgent concerns regarding the closure of a section of the A48.
Earlier this morning, the A48 was closed between Tidenham and Woolaston for resurfacing. Motorists faced significant delays, having received little or no notice that these works were planned.
A number of local residents contacted Mark to raise concerns about the lack of notice of the closure, and insufficient and confusing signage that has been put out in conjunction with the closure.
Commenting on the closure, Mark Harper MP said:
“A number of my constituents have been in contact with me regarding today’s closure of the A48. The lack of notice to local residents and commuters of the closure of such a major route is totally unsatisfactory.
My team urgently got in contact with Gloucestershire County Council, who manage the road, to find out why this was happening.
Recognising the significant impact that this will have on many Forest commuters, the Council have agreed to change the hours of closure from 7am-7pm to 9:30am-3:30pm, with immediate effect – meaning that work will not be occurring during the rush hours.
There is a pressing need to resurface the road, meaning that the work can’t be postponed completely. However, this change will hopefully reduce the impact of the roadworks for most people using the road. Once the work is done, the new surface will improve the road for commuters, and should hopefully not need major work for another 20 years.”