Posted on Tuesday 5th February 2019
Image of MacArthurGlen Designer Outlet West Midlands in Cannock
An overnight road closure will be put in place later this week as work continues on a major Staffordshire highways scheme which will provide access to a new £160 million retail development.
On Wednesday (February 6) the A460 Eastern Way in Cannock will need to be closed between 7pm and 6am on the stretch between the Lichfield Road and Hayes Way roundabouts. This will allow construction work on a temporary road alongside the main road to take place. During the overnight closure traffic will be diverted along the A5190 and A4601.
This temporary road will allow traffic to continue to flow while improvements on the A460 take place. Once the works are completed and the A460 is reopened, traffic will use on the temporary road.
The works being carried out by the county council will pave the way for the McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Cannock, which is set to open in 2020. McArthurGlen has committed £15million to the improvement scheme, taking place at Churchbridge and the A460 Eastern Way.
Hayes Way is now closed from the junction of Eastern Way to Pheasant Way so the access works can be carried out safely. The closure will be in place for the duration of the works. The closed link means that traffic is unable to join the A460 from Hayes Way and is unable to turn into Hayes Way from the A460 island. Local traffic needs to use the alternate routes of Hayes Way and Heath Way to access the Lichfield Road A5190 or the Hednesford Road B4154.
Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport Helen Fisher said:
We are urging people to allow additional travel time if they had intended to use this stretch of the A460 on Wednesday evening in order to follow the short diversion route. The closure has been scheduled to take place overnight to minimise disruption.
This road improvement scheme is a vital part of the development. Traffic management has been carefully planned though we would again like to thank people for their ongoing patience while work is carried out.”
Cannock Chase District Council granted planning approval for a designer outlet at Mill Green in September 2016 following extensive consultations with the local community. On-site construction of McArthurGlen Designer Outlet in Cannock started this summer.
The McArthurGlen Designer Outlet is a hugely important development for Staffordshire and the West Midlands. Once open, it will create 1000 new retail jobs, supporting around £20 million of employment income for the local economy annually. The centre will also attract more visitors into Cannock, growing local tourism spend by more than £3 million every year.
The county council and development partner Amey are carrying out the road infrastructure works, which will include;
- Access works and improvements on the A460 Eastern Way, Churchbridge interchange and Orbital Way.
- Widening the A460 Eastern Way to a dual carriageway and creating slip roads to the designer outlet.
- A new underpass and access to the site from the A460. New footpaths and cycle ways will also be installed. Before the underpass is built, a temporary road will be built so no closures of the A460 are needed during peak times and traffic can continue to flow.
- Widening both the eastern and western A460 legs at the Churchbridge junction to provide two lanes in both directions
- Widening Orbital Way on the eastbound side, improving the Lodge Lane and Churchbridge roundabouts and installing new toucan crossings on Eastern Way.