Press release

Vital bridge maintenance work begins in Stoke

A festive boost for shoppers in Stoke as maintenance work is set to complete for Christmas.

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Shoppers in Stoke have been given a festive boost as essential maintenace work on the west bridge will be completed in time for the Christmas rush.

Engineers are starting work on the A500 Talke junction bridge to replace existing safety barriers and worn road surface. To minimise disruption for motorists, the project is broken down into two phases – the west side of the bridge is being completed first, followed by the eastbound carriageway.

Highways England has brought forward the completion date of the first phase of the work. It will now be finished by 9 December to make journeys to the shopping centre easier in the run up to Christmas.

All work will be paused for the Christmas and New Year holiday period. The second phase is starting on 9 January 2017 and will be completed by March.

Highways England project manager Jess Kenny said:

We know how important this road is for those using it on a daily basis, but the work is unavoidable.

We have discussed this vital project with Transport Minister John Hayes and nearby businesses and we are bringing forward the completion of the first phase of the A500 Talke junction roadworks to minimise the disruption to shops and businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

However, by always keeping one side of the junction open to traffic as we do the work, we aim to limit the impact this has on road users. We’d like to thank motorists for their patience while this essential work is completed.

A full diversion route will be in for the duration of the work.

For more information, visit the scheme website.

Drivers can get live traffic updates via our website or by following @HighwaysWMIDS on Twitter.

The Highways England Customer Contact Centre is also available 24-hours-a-day on 0300 123 5000.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Published 21 September 2016