Frequently asked questions

Who is paying for the work?

The work is primarily funded by central government, based on a bid submitted by Staffordshire County Council headed ‘Investing in Mid-Staffordshire’s Major Road Network’.
Stafford County Council are funding the works on Queensville Bridge and the carriageway and footway works between Queensville Avenue and Riverway.

Why is the work taking place now?

The Department for Transport’s timetable requires all work to be completed by March 2026 to be eligible for the funding. 

Who is carrying out the work?

The principal contractor will be Amey – Staffordshire County Council’s ‘Infrastructure+’ partner. The bridgeworks will be carried out by specialist subcontractor: Currall, Lewis & Martin.

Other works co-ordinated with the project include traffic signal upgrade (bus priority measures) will be carried out by SWARCO.

What are the working hours?

The normal working hours will be 07:30 – 16:30 Monday to Friday.

Works will also be taking place at reduced resource levels on Saturdays and Sundays.

Any works outside these hours will be notified to the key stakeholders.

Surfacing will be carried out at night-time between 8pm and 6am. 

Can I claim compensation?

While the roadworks are in progress, we will try to make sure that all premises are reasonably accessible by road. We have every sympathy with affected businesses and residents due to the ongoing disruption. Unfortunately, the county council is not able to offer compensation – this is in line with national policy and reflected through highways authorities across the country. 

Why isn’t the work just being carried out under traffic lights like road works normally are?

A34 Lichfield Road and Queensville are very traffic-sensitive and congestion builds up very quickly when there is any delay here. If the work was to be carried out under traffic signals, it would need to be carried out in a large number of short lengths. This would severely restrict the amount of work that we are able to do at any one time and would mean that the project would last for a lot longer.

When temporary traffic lights are used, traffic is only able to advance for a fairly small proportion of the time available. On A34 Lichfield Road and Queensville, this would mean that delays would soon become unacceptably long. Queues in all directions would be in excess of an hour and would effectively bring the road system in Stafford to a standstill. 

Why are road closures necessary for surfacing works?

Planing and resurfacing operations need a lot of specialist equipment and require a great deal of working space. It is not safe for this work to take place where public traffic is passing close to the working area. This work is normally only permitted to be carried out at night-time because otherwise the impact on the road network is too great. 

Why is the one-way running outbound?

The decision was made to have the one-way out of town due to

• Aides any fire service emergency services to outer lying area of Baswich, Wildwood. Fire service vehicles are unable to travel out of town due to weight restrictions/ alignment of bridges along Baswich Lane.
• Allows bus operators to keep to timetables when leaving Stafford.
• Reduced impact on local independent business.

What will be done on diversion routes to ease the flow of traffic?

All other works will be suspended on diversion route unless there is an absolute emergency.

Work has already been completed on diversion route including Wolverhampton Road Routine maintenance to fix potholes has also been undertaken. The traffic signal timings at junction Rickerscote / A449, West Way / A449 will be adjusted to improve the flow of vehicles.

How will the works affect services at Stafford Crematorium?

There has been ongoing liaison with Stafford Borough Council regarding the works and traffic management which will affect travel.

The Crematorium will be aware of works and traffic management, increased journey time etc. and will advise funeral directors accordingly. 

How will my refuse collection be carried out whilst works are taking place?

There has been ongoing liaison with SBC regarding the works and traffic management which will affect refuge collection service. The Waste management Team will be aware of works and traffic management, increased collection time / disruption etc and advise residents accordingly. 

What if I live between the railway bridge and Queensville roundabout?

There will be no access off Queensville roundabout during the one-way road closure which residents will have to adhere to.

During full road closures residents will gain access form Queensville Roundabout. There will be no access from Queensville Roundabout.

What if I live on St. Leonards Avenue & Queensville Avenue?

During the one-way road closure residents travelling along Lichfield Road will need to access off Riverway. Residents join Lichfield Road will need to turn left and follow the signage.

There will also be a requirement for some temporary footway closures and intermittent road closures at junctions of Queensville Avenue and St Leonards Avenue.

Are bus services affected by the works

For information on bus services being affected by the works please visit the Changes to Bus services page