Benfleet road to be hit with 13 week roadworks
A busy Essex road will be hit with roadworks for more than three months, sparking fears it’ll “kill” businesses
A busy Essex road will be hit with roadworks for more than three months, sparking fears it’ll “kill” businesses.
London Road, Benfleet will be impacted by the roadworks by Cadent for 13 weeks from May 25 to August 17. There will be works in four phases and Cadent says it will fully replace nearly 800 metres of gas pipes along the busy main road.
Businesses are worried about the impact on their trade. Samet Nasiroglu, owner of The Codfather, London Road, Benfleet. said it’s going to be terrible for his small business. He added: “It will kill the business, I don’t know how we are going to recover from that, especially in this unstable economic system. I don’t know how we’re going to survive. It’ll be very difficult for us. It’s a nightmare. I knew there would be some roadworks but I didn’t know it would be this bad.”
The major roadworks will see Cadent gradually work its way along London Road from the Sadlers Farm Roundabout to the Tarpots junction which will be completely closed from July 27 to August 17.
Conservative councillor Andrew Sheldon said he will be keeping a “very close eye” on the latest works. The former mayor of Castle Point added: “There is no doubt these works will be extremely disruptive. I drive through there every day and I myself am dreading it! But forewarned is forearmed and residents and businesses can start planning now.”
Cadent bosses say the works must be carried out to ensure residents and businesses in Benfleet can “continue to rely on a safe and secure gas supply.” Carl Williams, head of investment delivery, added: “We have worked very hard with the local Council and Highways Authority to plan the most suitable traffic management for these essential works, for the safety of road users and engineers. We appreciate concerns from residents and businesses, and we are holding a number of public information sessions for councillors, businesses and residents leading up to the beginning of the work, to share our plans, listen and address any concerns.”