Following last week's news about the upcoming work on the A5 and Watling Street bridge, I know many of you have questions. Here are the key points:
What work is taking place?
The road under the Watling Street bridge - the most bashed bridge in Britain - will be lowered to prevent ongoing strikes by HGVs, which cause lost time, money and lots of frustration for our community.
When will work start?
Speed restrictions between the roundabout at Hammonds Way (just before the Watling Street bridge) and the Dodwells roundabout begin on 5th May, with a short period of road closure to take place during the summer. I'll share an update when I know the dates.
How is this funded?
Mountpark, *the developer of a nearby logistics park is funding the work*, which was granted as a condition of the planning permission in 2023.
The lowering of the road was something that I pushed for.
Will the road be closed?
There will be a short period of full closure (a couple of weeks) during the summer holidays.
Importantly, the A5 will not be closed for the full 12-month duration of the traffic order.
Why does the traffic order last 12 months?
This is standard and gives flexibility - the work itself is not expected to take that long.
Where will HGVs go during the works?
Diversions for HGVs will be clearly signed via the M69, M6 and M42.
I share concerns around the impact on local roads that are not suitable for lorries, and I will be monitoring this closely. If you see instances of this, please email me details (luke.evans.mp@parliament.uk) so I can raise it with the relevant company.
Will there be disruption?
Yes - there will be some disruption while the work takes place, including a temporary 40mph speed limit on this stretch of the A5.
This is short-term pain for long-term gain!
Why is this being done now?
This follows years of campaigning locally, and I’m pleased we are finally seeing action to fix the most bashed bridge in Britain!
What’s the long-term benefit?
This is about ending repeated bridge strikes, reducing congestion, saving lost money to the economy and stopping Hinckley, Burbage, Higham-on-the-Hill, Wykin and the surrounding areas from being used as rat-runs.
Will the lowering of the road lead to flooding under the bridge?
I share these concerns and have raised them with the developers - they assure me that they have a plan to mitigate this and that flooding under the bridge will not be an issue.
Thanks for reading, I hope this helps to answer any questions you may have. You may also be interested in this article on the work: Road lowering at 'most bashed' bridge set to start | BBC
