Major road to close for SIX MONTHS with motorists forced onto 10-mile diversion – check your route now
A MAJOR road is set to close for six months for urgent repairs, forcing drivers onto a 10-mile diversion route.
The work is part of a £2.5 million project to address a dangerous issue.
Motorists have been warned that a significant link road will shortly be shut down for an extended period.
The B4058 is popular with HGV drivers as part of a network of routes connecting London, Bristol and Gloucester.
It allows drivers to access the West Country while avoiding delays on the M4 or long loop-around on the M5.
Unfortunately, the high demand has taken its toll over time, with users consistently complaining of cracks in the road surface and an uneven camber.
Concerns have also been raised over the issue of small landslides in the area, which can put drivers at risk and cause lengthy closures.
To try and combat this problem, the county council is investing a whopping £2.5 million in repairing the road.
However, the scale of the work does mean that a long-term closure is required to carry it out.
The local highways authority has said that they will implement a “medium-term solution” by putting in 255m of sheet pile to support the road.
This is where sheets of metal, often rolled steel, are laid under the surface in order to level it out and prevent subsidence.
The 9m deep layer should reinforce the road sufficiently for workers to carry out a “further ground investigation” at a lower depth to address the root cause of the problem.
What it does mean, though, is that a vital section of the B4058 will be closed for an entire six months while the sheet pile is laid.
The area around Rushmire Hill, just outside Wotton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire, will be off-limits for the foreseeable future.
This also includes the Old London Road, which is popular as a shortcut around the town centre.
Drivers will instead be sent around 5 miles north out of their way through Dursley on the A4135, before looping around and travelling the same distance back southwards on the B4060 to avoid the closure.
Work is set to begin in January 2025, with a contractor yet to be appointed.
Cllr Dom Morris, the county council’s cabinet member for highways and flooding, said: “We’re investing in our roads to prevent traffic delays and deliver smoother journeys.
“We look forward to appointing an expert contractor to carry out the challenging work to stabilise the road.
“Along with an extensive programme of resurfacing and with new pothole repair machines working across the county, it’s our priority to create better journeys for everyone in Gloucestershire.”