Shropshire Star

Road and rail delays hit Shropshire

Commuters have faced rush-hour misery with queues of up to a mile and a half on busy islands surrounding Shrewsbury – and still months of more roadworks to come.

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Queues on the A5 built up due to the £3.8 million roadworks on the Emstrey and Preston Boats roundabouts on Monday, while rail users in the county had their journeys delayed by up to three hours due to a broken-down train at Tipton in the West Midlands.

Lanes on the A5 have been narrowed by cones on the approaches to both roundabouts and a 50mph speed limit remains in force. Officials at the Highways Agency have warned motorists to expect delays of up to 30 minutes until tomorrow evening.

Work on the two islands is expected to continue until December, although officials have insisted it is "on track".

Meanwhile, the A458 linking Shrewsbury to Bridgnorth has been closed for two weeks for resurfacing work.

The project had already been delayed by more than four months due to contractual issues. Diversions have been put in place around country lanes in the area.

Both Shropshire councillor David Turner, who represents Much Wenlock, and Lucy Price, manager of the Plume of Feathers pub in Harley, have said the work on the route is essential.

One of the reasons cited for carrying out the work was the death of a 24-year-old Alfred John Sergeant, from Bristol, on the route in December 2012 following a collision with a tanker.

The problems on the railways saw the 9.27am Shrewsbury to Aberystwyth train delayed until 11.27am and the 10.23am Shrewsbury to Holyhead not arriving until 1.13pm.

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