A MAJOR road is set to close for several months with diversion routes put in place – leaving locals bracing themselves for the ensuing chaos.
Bishops Hull Road and Silk Mills Road, both located in Taunton, Somerset, will be affected from today as Wales & West Utilities begins work to upgrade the area’s gas mains.
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Phase one of the project is scheduled to run until the end of June, resulting in the closure of Bishops Hull Road as well as Comeytrowe Lane.
Two-way traffic lights will also be put in place along Stonegallows and Wellington New Road from 27 May until 13 June
Locals fear the works could have a significant impact on businesses in the area.
Speaking to the BBC, Tom Parker, who owns the village shop and butcher, said: “It’s going to affect business a lot, with the road closure.
“I think it’s going to cause general chaos… if customers don’t make the effort, it’s going to do serious damage to my business.”
Parker also pointed out that the works have come at the same time as rises to National Insurance contributions, as well as increases in minimum wage and pricier energy bills.
He added: “Those are going to stay the same whether we have lots of business or we have not a lot of business, so when we don’t have so much business, it has a huge effect on the viability of our business and puts a huge amount of pressure on us.”
Phase two of the works is due to begin in mid-June and will see further closures on Silk Mills Road until completion.
It will see the older metal main pipes replaced by more durable plastic ones, that are also better suited to carrying greener gas.
The project, part of a broader, multi-million-pound, 30-year gas pipe investment programme across Wales and the South West of England, has cost around £357,000.
It comes as a vital bridge could be demolished after being shuttered for six years.
The prolonged closure of London’s Hammersmith Bridge has left local communities and businesses struggling with increased congestion, longer travel times, and financial losses.
A proposal to have the bridge demolished and replaced with a fresh crossing was put forward by the Department for Transport (DfT) to resolve the structure’s poor state but was rejected.
It is unclear how long a full repair programme would take if eventually greenlit, but Putney MP Fleur Anderson estimated it could take until 2035.
