An Alderley Edge parish councillor has criticised plans to close the A34 bypass later this month.
Drivers are being warned that the A34 will be closed for five days towards the end of the March to enable Cheshire East Highways to carry out lining and stud works.
The plan is to close the A34 from the Harden Park roundabout (near The Merlin) to the A555 Manchester Airport Eastern Link Road from Monday 23rd March to Friday 27th March between the hours of 7pm and 5am.
Having pointed out that 7pm was a peak time for traffic, Cllr Nigel Schofield said "It's a dual carriageway, why can they not close one side and leave the other side open to two way traffic because that would at least allow the traffic to continue without having to plough all through Wilmslow. It just strikes me as absolute lack of thinking.
"The last time when they said they were going to close the bypass (the Alderley Edge single lane stretch) for 4 days they ended up closing it for one and a half days and afterwards they said you were right there was no need to close it because there is a cycle path they could have used for the cutter, which in fact is what they did use. They just don't think these things through."
During the closure the alternative route will be via: Alderley Road A538/B5086, Fulshaw Cross Roundabout B5086, Handforth Bypass A34/B5358, Maelr Slip Road Eastbound A555, Manchester East Airport Link A555, Manchester Road A538/B5166, Manchester Road Roundabout A538, Wilmslow Road B5358, Wilmslow Road Roundabout B5358.
The scheduled work is weather dependent.
Comments
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If Cllr Schofield is upset with Cheshire East, he'll have the chance to vote Independent at the forthcoming CEC election.
The problem with Cllr Schofield's suggestion is probably more to do with the logistics of closing one side of a stretch of dual carriageway involving six roundabouts and making the other side temporarily two-way! By the time they've thought this through, put out the necessary cones and signage, they might as well close the road and get the job done. I agree that 7pm might be too early but the one-sided-closure option appears unworkable.
Imagine approaching the Merlin roundabout (in the dark) on the last bit of the single carriageway stretch of by-pass and being directed to drive north up half of the southbound carriageway and then later wanting to turn left at the roundabout at Polar Ford into Wilmslow.
Is that evidence of an "absolute lack of thinking" perhaps?