Motorists are set to face double trouble when it comes to traffic in and around Burton as a major road is set to be closed for another month - while work starts on Burton Bridge.

Staffordshire County Council has revealed that Branston Road, in Tatenhill, will now be closed until Monday, June 25, after it was originally due to open on Monday, May 28.

Council chiefs have put the delay down to prolonged adverse weather conditions earlier this year which has led to ground becoming waterlogged.

The road has been closed for the best part of a year to allow for a major redevelopment ahead of the new £30 million John Taylor Free School opening in September. The closure has meant an eight-mile detour for residents in the area, provoking anger and frustration.

Councillor Helen Fisher, the council's cabinet support member for highways and transport, said: "These works are essential to ensure the entire infrastructure is in place to serve the new school, businesses and future residents.

A drone photograph of the Branston Locks Development
Pictured: Lawns Farm
A drone photograph of the Branston Locks Development

"We know that this extended closure is not ideal, but the adverse weather we had throughout winter and early spring has meant increased levels of groundwater.

"Our engineers have had to wait for this to dry out before continuing work, which has meant the road closure has had to be extended.

"We realise that any road closure and diversion can cause disruption, but we hope local residents will bear with us for a little while longer while our engineers work as quickly as they can to get the road finished."

The work on the road has involved the complete removal of the existing road, constructing a brand new one and roundabout, together with a pavement and cycleway.

There has also been the installation of new services including gas and electricity, new kerbs, road markings, traffic signs and street lighting.

It comes as new details are released after being finalised about crucial work which is being carried out on Burton Bridge - with it set to be completed three weeks earlier than first thought.

The work is due to start on Monday, June 18, and finish in time for the start of the new school term in September.

Council chiefs said the details have been confirmed after listening to the views of residents and businesses, and also taking on board the views of the emergency services on traffic management.

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One lane on the bridge will now remain open, instead of the proposed full closure of all four lanes. This will be into Burton to allow emergency services to manage journeys over the bridges and encourage people to support businesses in the town.

Extra crews will also be deployed with work being carried out on the scene from 7.30am to 4.30pm, seven days a week, with additional twilight shifts from 4.30pm to 10.30pm from Monday to Friday – except when curing time for materials is necessary.

Overnight working is not possible because of the impact of noise on nearby residential areas.

Work is set to start next month on Burtob Bridge

During the work, access will be maintained for cyclist and pedestrians.

Mark Deaville, Staffordshire County Council's cabinet member with responsibility for the Burton Gateways Scheme, said: "This major programme of investment to safeguard the future of both St Peter's Bridge and Burton Bridge is absolutely vital to the local economy and to keeping people on the move.

"After listening to the views of people, businesses and the 999 services, we rescheduled the scheme to the quieter summer months, cut the length of the programme and redesigned the scheme to keep one lane on the bridge open.

"While you can't carry out works on this scale without some level of disruption, we hope these steps will help mitigate the impact and we would encourage people to plan ahead and allow more time for their journeys if they need to cross the bridges at peak times during the works."

The work on Burton Bridge will involve strengthening, resurfacing and improving drainage on the arched bridge, which opened more than 150 years ago.

Councillor Deaville said: "Burton Bridge is very much an iconic landmark and has served the town well for more than 150 years, but it is imperative that the strengthening work is now done so the town can benefit for many more years to come.

"During the scheme Burton will still be very much open for business and we would encourage people to continue to show their support for local businesses while the work is being carried out."

People can find out more about the scheme and sign up for news updates at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/burtonbridges