Telford firms urged to stagger work hours when A442 shuts for six days of bridge work
Businesses are being urged to allow flexible working hours during the six-day closure of one of Telford's busiest routes this month.
The closure of the A442 dual carriageway near Telford Town Centre is to allow a huge crane to lift the first section of a new footbridge from Telford Railway Station into place.
The road is being closed so the section can be put over the railway track as part of a new footbridge to the town centre.
The closure is set to be from June 27 to July 2, from the Hollinswood interchange to the Greyhound roundabout.
But businesses say they would struggle to alter work patterns and urged people to carry on as normal.
Shropshire Chamber of Commerce believe the short-term disruption will benefit the town in the long run.
Richard Sheehan, chief executive officer for Shropshire Chamber of Commerce, said: "There's no doubt some businesses need to offer standard opening times, so they might struggle in some respects but it's refreshing to know the council are trying to mitigate with local businesses to do the best they can to reduce the disruption.
"It very much depends on the type of business it is on whether they can change working hours or let people work from home.
"More and more businesses now are becoming as flexible as they can be, and the work from home attitude is growing by the day, but I think the long-term benefits businesses will see once all the work is done will more than make up for the few days the road is closed.
But Paul Challoner, assistant store manager at Screwfix, said: "The problem is, us like many other shops around are open for the clientèle, we open for the customers so they might see the knock on effect.
"We couldn't change our working hours, it just wouldn't be practical."
"Workers here are just going to have to find ways around it, and I think if customers need supplies they will hopefully find a way to get to us," he added.
George Ledger, from Wickes store in Snedhill, added: "In theory it could make things difficult, people are going to have to use other roads nearer us rather than using the dual carriageway.
"In some circumstances it may mean more footfall for the company if more people come our way, but we definitely don't plan on changing our working hours as a result of the closure."
Councillor Lee Carter, cabinet member for finance, commercial services and economic development, said: "We appreciate that the road closures will be inconvenient but we're doing all we can to make this process as efficient as possible.
"We're asking businesses to support the community when the diversions come into effect by staggering start times for employees or allowing people to work from home.
"Residents can also help by car sharing or biking to the town centre as small changes like these will make a big difference to congestion around peak times.
"Anyone who has walked up the current footbridge knows how steep and limited it is, and we're asking for a community effort to make this work."
The new bridge will be wider and have lifts to help people with mobility issues and heavy loads, CCTV cameras, glass panels along the main walkway to protect users from the elements, and modern lighting to increase visibility.
Similar closures are set to take place later on in the year when the rest of the bridge spanning the dual carriage way is put into place.
