Part of A52 work pushed back after petition

Part of a scheme to upgrade the A52 in Nottinghamshire has been put back after a petition called for an urgent review to address "traffic gridlock".

Work to remove utility and telecoms infrastructure at Wheatcroft Island began in September ahead of a major redesign by National Highways, prompting complaints about prolonged lane closures and severe congestion.

The petition, by councillor Hetvi Parekh from Rushcliffe Borough Council, said the work was causing "significant disruption", adding the "impact on everyday life is considerable".

The preliminary works were due to move to the Nottingham Knight junction this month, but have now been deferred until mid-January.

The main scheme will see the roundabouts' layouts changed with a cut-through installed in the middle of the islands connecting the A52.

The first phase of the project has involved lane restrictions and a 40mph speed limit.

The petition said journeys that would normally take 25 minutes were taking up to an hour and a half.

It added businesses in the area were experiencing disruption, with staff, customers and deliveries affected by the congestion.

According to Parekh, in a written response, National Highways said it had "listened to the feedback" about significant congestion and disruption being experienced across Rushcliffe and the wider Nottingham area.

The advance works at Wheatcroft Island are due to finish this month and, with the Nottingham Knight junction phase now delayed, National Highways said there would be no traffic management in place throughout December.

However, the work at the Nottingham Knight junction will last for four months.

Parehk said: "These are essential infrastructure improvements and safety must remain the priority, but every reasonable step should be taken to minimise the impact on residents, families and businesses who rely on this road.

"While I welcome the changes already made, this is not the end of the campaign. We need to ensure the lessons from recent weeks are applied to future phases of the project.

"I have asked National Highways to provide a formal response to the petition, consider further measures to reduce disruption and meet with local councillors so residents' concerns can be discussed directly.

"This campaign was never about stopping essential improvements. It is about making sure they are delivered with proper consideration for the people and businesses affected."

Adam Gallis, senior project manager for National Highways, said the scheme would "tackle the bottleneck junctions that have plagued drivers and communities for so long, improving traffic flow and congestion at these two important roundabouts".

He added: "We appreciate that roadworks do impact journeys, but the current lane closures and reduced speed are necessary for the safety of workers and to ensure the A52 can stay open while work is ongoing.

"It is not safe or efficient for us to keep removing and reinstating the traffic management throughout this phase of works. Our works will reduce in December, in the run-up to Christmas when we know roads can be busier, before recommencing in January.

"Our aim is always to minimise disruption and we carefully consider lane closures and consult with local authorities before schemes get under way. We continually monitor and review the schemes as work progresses."

Additional reporting by Asha Patel

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