Major Stourport Road Closure

Picked up from the Public notices in the Shuttle (page 60 and sorry Dan it's Flash). As you might expect not a murmur from the paper itself yet. This is going to need a map to make sense.

Condensing the big chunk o'text down - the top of Vale Road (though technically it's Minster Road) will be closed in both directions from the 14th August to the 17th August 2009; then just the Northbound section will be reopened.

Then from the 17th August until the 21st September 2009 the Blue Section of Vale Road, the Red Section of Gilgal and the Yellow Section of Worcester Road (one lane only from Gilgal) will be closed. So for all traffic trying to get from the town to Worcester Road the official diversion route is as shown:

Although "light vehicles can use [...] Wilden Lane" which does take a big chunk of, but goes past a school, an urban area, and means driving over the torn-up road that is Wilden Lane. This is also the route for anyone trying to get to Mitton Street from Kidderminster starting at Kidderminster though of course.

For anyone who's on the other side of the river they can of course use the unofficial diversion as shown here:


Except that will be for light vehicles only as there's a weight restriction in place on that bridge and there may still be water works going on at Ombersley.

Relief Road? Why would Stourport need a Relief Road? Just because shutting down one section of road that's about a third of a mile long results in a choice of diversions approximately 13 miles in length doesn't suggest any problems with the road infrastructure.

Oh and I didn't mention, but this is to "facilitate water mains renewal and high voltage cable replacement works". So the people who live there will not only have difficulty in getting out, but are likely to have power and water turned off at some point.

As Jim said "So they're digging up the only decent bit of road left in Stourport?" Yes, yes they are and adding in 5 weeks of chaos to boot.

[Additional - One interesting point is that due to the severe diversion they're having to ensure that emergency vehicles can get through, combine this with access to land is still going to be allowed and I have to wonder exactly why they felt the need to shut the whole thing down rather than just leave one lane open; which, let's face it, is pretty much how it works at the moment.]