Village roadworks spark fears residents will be ‘trapped’
Gloucestershire Highways is planning to close the roads to and around Elkstone to carry out carriageway resurfacing this week
There are concerns Cotswold residents face almost two weeks of being trapped by roadworks in their village.
Gloucestershire Highways is planning to close the roads to and around Elkstone to carry out carriageway resurfacing this week.
The proposed start date for the work is this Thursday (October 23) and will run for 12 days excluding weekends until November 7.
The temporary traffic order for the village suggests the closures would be from 7am to 7pm.
Conservative Councillor Julia Judd (Ermin), who represents the area at Cotswold District Council, says the situation is absurd as residents will be trapped in the village during daylight hours.
“It is not right that taxpayers are treated like this,” she said.
“There appears to be no plan to allow a whole village, farms and a group of over 20 successful, independent businesses to function – how can people make plans if they can’t get out?
“On paper they will be trapped during daylight hours.
“I hope that in reality that is not the case, but I have seen absolutely no evidence to support this conjecture.
“It is the most absurd situation.
“What is really frustrating is that there is no ability to communicate with the capital works team.
“They must have a schedule of work which should be published.”
Highways cabinet member Joe Harris (LD, Cirencester Park) said Gloucestershire County Council are aware of the disruption the works will cause.
And they are very grateful to residents and businesses in Elkstone for their patience while the road is resurfaced.
“I represented Elkstone as the county councillor until earlier this year and this stretch of road was one that residents regularly raised with me, so I’m really pleased that it’s now being properly resurfaced as part of our commitment to fix our roads,” he said.
“This scheme is essential to deliver a high-quality, long-lasting surface rather than more patching.
“To achieve that standard, crews need to work continuously in one direction using large machinery and hot tarmac, which means the road must be fully closed during the day for safety reasons.
“We’ve worked closely with councillors, residents and businesses ahead of the closure to help people plan, and every effort has been made to minimise disruption.
“Access will only be allowed where it’s safe and won’t delay the work.
“These closures are never ideal, but doing the job properly now will mean fewer disruptions and a much better road for years to come.”