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Shop local plea as highways team works at pace to complete essential road scheme

Posted on Thursday 30th March 2023
Latest news newsroom

People travelling through two north Staffordshire villages and their residents are being urged to support local businesses impacted by an essential road improvement scheme.

The A521 Uttoxeter Road at Blythe Bridge is temporarily closed while maintenance takes place and is scheduled to open on May 17. People are being reminded that businesses in the village and neighbouring Forsbrook are open to business, and the county council is urging people to shop local and support the local economy.

The project team put up extra road signs to inform people that their favourite shops and eateries remain open as usual. And additional highways teams have been drafted in to get the job done as quickly as possible.

Though standard workdays had been Monday to Saturday, this has extended to Sundays as the teams pull out all the stops. In addition, gas repairs are taking place at the same time to avoid future disruption.

A full closure of Uttoxeter Road has been necessary due to the close proximity of the level crossing. The team has had to keep to Network Rail safety guidelines, which did not allow temporary signals in the area.

Improvements include road resurfacing, drainage and kerbing repairs, with an investment of £980,000.

Staffordshire County Council’s deputy leader Philip White said:

We want people to know that businesses in Blythe Bridge and Forsbrook are very much open for business and would urge people to support them particularly while this essential work takes place.

We understand and sympathise with business owners at this time. They can be assured that the project team has done all it can to minimise disruption, with extra effort being made to get the job done as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, a full closure of the road was the only option.

We’d now urge both residents and people travelling in the area to support these local businesses impacted by the works. They play a vital role in their communities as a service and as employers. With everyone’s support they can continue to thrive.”

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