Advanced warning of junction closure in Crewe town centre

Cheshire East Council is giving advanced warning of a six-week junction closure in Crewe town centre, which begins on Monday 4th April.

The closure is needed to prepare for the installation of state-of-the-art adaptive signal controls later in the year – a project being funded as part of the council’s £14.1m allocation of funding from the government’s Future High Streets Fund.

From 4 April, until about 15 May, works will take place on traffic lights at two junctions – Wistaston Road/Dunwoody Way and the Wistaston Road/Edleston Road/Oak Street crossroads. Temporary traffic lights will be in operation.

During this time, drivers and cyclists travelling eastwards along Wistaston Road will still be able to turn left on to Dunwoody Way but will not be able to continue along the road to the junction of Wistaston Road and Oak Street.

Traffic will not be able to travel westwards into Wistaston Road from Oak Street, Edleston Road and Chester Bridge and will instead be diverted via Oak Street, Vernon Way, West Street and Dunwoody Way. Access for cyclists and pedestrians will be maintained and the diversion route can be viewed online at: 

one.network 

The junction closure is necessary to allow for the works to be carried out safely, with a large amount of ducting needing to be replaced to prepare for the installation of the adaptive controls.

Once installed – expected to be towards the end of this year – these controls will be able to take traffic conditions into account and will help to make the town centre more accessible and encourage people to stay for longer, while also supporting the council’s carbon agenda and sustainable and active travel programmes.

Equipment such as traffic signal poles are due to be upgraded as part of this work, along with the lamps, which will be ultra-low voltage and more carbon efficient. A ‘touch free’ crossing demand system will also be installed for pedestrians. 

Other highways repairs are also planned to be undertaken to maximise use of the road closure and minimise future disruption to the public. 

Temporary traffic lights will be in place while both sets of traffic lights at Wistaston Road/ Dunwoody Way and Wistaston Road/Edleston Road/Oak Street are upgraded. Delays are expected.

Information about the scheme, and the full diversion route, can be found online at:

www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/highways 

Also, live updates from site will be tweeted from:

@CECHighways