Traffic Management

It is inevitable that the work being carried out will have a major impact on traffic using the corridor and across Stafford.  Radford Bank, in particular, is a very traffic-sensitive route which is very susceptible to congestion and delays, even when there are no roadworks going on.

Baswich Double Mini Roundabouts Junction

The first area with traffic management in operation will be the double mini roundabouts at the top of Radford Bank.

There will be various phases of traffic management here, to provide access to different areas of the junction.

Mostly the work will be carried out without traffic signals, with the road widths restricted by coning to provide small working areas.  Traffic will not be able to flow as freely as usual but it should keep moving.

Short-term one-way closures at Baswich Lane, Weeping Cross and Wildwood Drive are also planned.  These should have less impact on the road network than temporary traffic signals.  This phase is expected to be in operation for 9 weeks. 

The traffic management may need to include a phase where four-way traffic lights are in operation.  If this is the case, although the working lengths are short, the delays to traffic will be considerable. 

Road closure - Baswich Double Mini Roundabouts Junction

Final planing and surfacing works at the Weeping Cross junction will need to be carried out under a full road closure for safety reasons.

This will be carried out at night, to reduce the traffic impact.

Signed diversion routes will be in operation but unfortunately these will be quite long.

During the daytime, the traffic management system will be as operated before the road closure. 

The works will take place on weeknights from 8pm to 6am as follows: 

• From Mon 16 September to Sat (morning) 27 September and,
• From Mon 7 October to Sat (morning) 26 October 

Extent of surfacing to be carried out during overnight closures

Vehicle access to frontages within the works will unfortunately not be possible during the above night-time closures due to the nature of the works.  If this presents a problem, please can you raise this with a member of the site staff well before the closure. 

All dates and times are subject to changes should any delays occur due to poor weather or breakdowns. 

Although we will do our best to keep this to a minimum, please be aware that the works will generate noise throughout each working shift especially during the night-time phases. 

Diversion routes will be signed but please feel free to use other routes that might be more convenient to you.

Unfortunately, the surfacing work is weather susceptible and is running slightly behind programme and will need to continue for more nights than were originally anticipated.

When works are taking place, as before, there will be road closures from 8pm to 6am.

The main scheme webpage and the VMS signs around the works area will tell you whether work will be taking place that night or not.  If you are able to, please check the webpage after 1pm to find out if works are taking place that night.

Operation of night-time closures

At 20:00 the road closures will become effective.  Cones will be placed across the roads and no further traffic will be allowed through.  (The only exception to this will be if an emergency vehicle needs to get through in a life-or-death situation.)

The affected roads will be re-opened by 06:00, the following morning.

Radford Bank will be closed, except to allow residents of Radford Bank, Radford Rise and Meadow Ridge to access their properties from Queensville roundabout.

The temporary one-way flow over Baswich Lane Bridges will remain in place during the road closures, ie. travel will only be possible from the Tixall Road area towards Baswich. 

Unfortunately, this means that residents in Baswich Lane/Weeping Cross/Cannock Road areas will not be able to drive to Stafford town centre after 20:00 on the nights of the closure, using either Radford Bank or Baswich Lane.  Diversion routes will be signed but road users are free to use any other routes that are suitable for their vehicle. At present, it is envisaged that all reasonable alternative routes will fully open.

Frequently asked questions

You can find answers to our frequently asked questions on our night-time road closures FAQ page.
 

Radford Bank

A one-way system will operate on Radford Bank when works are taking place on the narrow section between the eastern end of Radford Rise and Windsor Road.  This will mean that traffic is only able to travel towards Stafford town centre.  This arrangement is expected to be in operation from the start of September. 

A diversion route will be in operation for the opposite flow. Unfortunately, due to the lack of alternative routes of an acceptable standard, the signed diversion route will be long. 

This phase is expected to be in operation from the start of September until mid-December.

• Diversion routes
• One way road closure and diversion Southbound Radford Rise - Windsor Road
• Radford Bank - One Way Closure

Baswich Lane

It is expected that, during the Radford Bank one-way closure, displaced local traffic would use the northern end of Baswich Lane to avoid the congestion caused by the roadworks.  This length of road is twisty and includes narrow weight-restricted bridges with poor visibility and there would be an increased potential for road traffic accidents in this situation. 

Consequently, a one-way system will operate, enabling light vehicles to travel from the Tixall Road area towards Baswich.  No vehicles will be allowed in the opposite direction.

This arrangement will operate for the same period as the one-way system on Radford Bank.

•  One way Baswich Lane

Queensville, Queensville Railway Bridge and Lichfield Road

There will be Saturday night lane closures on Queensville Bridge starting in June 2024, while bridge maintenance work is carried out under Network Rail track possessions.  Temporary traffic lights will be in operation from late on Saturday nights but these will be removed early on Sunday mornings.

The main works in this area are expected to take place in early 2025.

Traffic management plans are still being developed for the A34 corridor to the west of Queensville roundabout.  It is likely that these will also include a one-way system but in this case the diversion route would be more obvious; using Silkmore Lane and Wolverhampton Road.