Frequently asked questions
Who is paying for the work?
The work is primarily funded by central government, based on a bid submitted by Staffordshire County Council headed ‘Investing in Mid-Staffordshire’s Major Road Network’.
Why is the work taking place now?
The Department for Transport’s timetable requires all work to be completed by early in 2025 to be eligible for the funding.
Who is carrying out the work?
The principal contractor will be Amey – Staffordshire County Council’s ‘Infrastructure+’ partner. The bridgeworks will be carried out by specialist subcontractor: Currall, Lewis & Martin.
Other works co-ordinated with the project include lighting upgrades being carried out by E.On and new electricity cabling being carried out by Network Plus on behalf of National Grid.
What are the working hours?
The normal working hours will be 07:30 – 16:30 Monday to Friday.
Works will also be taking place at reduced resource levels on Saturdays and Sundays.
Any works outside these hours will be notified to the key stakeholders.
Surfacing will be carried out at night-time after pm peak and before am peak.
Can I claim compensation?
While the roadworks are in progress we will try to make sure that all premises are reasonably accessible by road. We have every sympathy with affected businesses and residents due to the ongoing disruption. Unfortunately, the county council is not able to offer compensation – this is in line with national policy and reflected through highways authorities across the country.
Why isn’t the work just being carried out under traffic lights like road works normally are?
Radford Bank is very traffic-sensitive and congestion builds up very quickly when there is any delay here. If the work was to be carried out under traffic signals, it would need to be carried out in a large number of short lengths. This would severely restrict the amount of work that we are able to do at any one time and would mean that the project would last for a lot longer.
When temporary traffic lights are used, traffic is only able to advance for a fairly small proportion of the time available. On Radford Bank, this would mean that delays would soon become unacceptably long. Queues in all directions would be in excess of an hour and would effectively bring the road system in Stafford to a standstill.
The main reasons for the traffic management decisions on this project are shown here:
Why are road closures necessary for surfacing works?
Planing and resurfacing operations need a lot of specialist equipment and require a great deal of working space. It is not safe for this work to take place where public traffic is passing close to the working area. This work is normally only permitted to be carried out at night-time because otherwise the impact on the road network is too great.
Please also see Frequently asked questions in relation to the night-time road closures at Weeping Cross.
Why is there one-way running at the north end of Baswich Lane?
During the one-way closure on Radford Bank (4 months), it is expected that displaced traffic will use the north end of Baswich Lane to avoid congestion. This stretch includes narrow weight-restricted bridges with poor visibility and there is an increased potential for road traffic accidents.
The Baswich Lane bridges will be under a temporary one-way order. This may cause inconvenience for some but will reduce traffic collisions and bridge strikes. Quite apart from the safety aspect, there would be a major impact on road network if this stretch of road is blocked.
What will be done on diversion routes to ease the flow of traffic?
All other works will be suspended on diversion route unless there is an absolute emergency.
Work has already been completed on diversion route including Wolverhampton Road resurfacing, Holdiford Road Signals and surface dressing on the A513. Routine maintenance to fix potholes has also been undertaken.
How will the works affect services at Stafford Crematorium?
There has been ongoing liaison with Stafford Borough Council regarding the works and traffic management which will affect travel.
The Crematorium will be aware of works and traffic management, increased journey time etc. and will advise funeral directors accordingly.
How will my refuse collection be carried out whilst works are taking place?
There has been ongoing liaison with SBC regarding the works and traffic management which will affect refuge collection service. The Waste management Team will be aware of works and traffic management, increased collection time / disruption etc and advise residents accordingly.