I crawled through Midland town that has so roadworks it has become a carpark

Yahoo

26-05-2025

As I exited the town centre, I already knew there were roadworks on two major roads heading out of Stafford.
I'd already been caught up in temporary traffic lights earlier that week on the A518 Newport Road and the A449 Rowley Bank, respectively.
The former is the main road heading west of the town, while the latter is the main one heading south.
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Given the delays, I thought it would be best to go east, along the A34 Lichfield Road, which goes past Queens Shopping Park for those familiar with the area.
There were roadworks here too, I knew, but the last time I checked there were no temporary traffic lights causing a major issue.
From here along the A34, drivers can turn right onto Silkmore Lane off the roundabout, and head southwards, picking back up the A449 further on and bypassing the roadworks on the A449.
But not long had I driven along the A34 than I was stuck in a queue once again.
Same situation, different road, I thought, to borrow and improvise on a popular phrase.
Having crawled for some minutes toward the roundabout on the A34, it became apparent the council had closed off Silkmore Lane.
Knowing a queue would already be waiting for me if I turned back to the A449, I decided to press on up the A34 towards Weeping Cross in the east of Stafford.
From here, I'd pick my way through the country lanes of Acton Hill and Acton Trussell, heading south, eventually emerging even further down on the A449.
Guess what, though? You guessed it, more roadworks, this time at a small bridge along a small back road passing over the River Penk in Acton Trussell, seemingly in the middle of no where.
It felt like no matter where I went, there were roadworks.
That's been the cause of frustration for residents and businesses for many months in Stafford.
It seems roadworks and temporary traffic lights pop up no matter where you look.
Of course, such maintenance is essential for various things such as gas, water, electricity and road improvements.
But the feeling in Stafford is that these have been excessive and a scroll through social media shows the level of frustration facing locals.
'Joke' was a word frequently used on one online page.
"I was all for the roads being done but now it is past a joke," wrote one social media user, who described being "stuck for ages" along Newport Road.
Another likened Stafford to turning into The Truman Show, in which the character Jim Carrey plays has his movements controlled by a TV show producer.
They wrote: "Roadworks and road closures (the director) are stopping us road users getting from A to B. You nearly get to your destination and then 'bang', another obstacle in your way. (It's) getting beyond a joke now."
Others previously pointed to issues on the A513 Beaconside Road, where an HGV reportedly 'flattened a set of traffic lights' due to the road space 'not being wide enough'.
While on Tixall Road, residents hit out at there being a temporary traffic light with no workers present in February, claiming they were being 'held hostage'.
In response to the story, Staffordshire County Council's assistant director for highways James Bailey said: "We understand the frustration that roadworks bring and our network management team makes every effort to coordinate them wherever possible.
"Much of the work taking place in Stafford is due to ongoing housing development and essential utility works which we have limited control over.
"This includes the A34 Redhill and A513 Beaconside which is a substantial housing development, with Severn Trent Water carrying out works on the A518 Newport Road and A449 Rowley Bank.
"The county council is carrying out a multi-million-pound improvement scheme on the A34 corridor from Weeping Cross towards the town centre, including Queensville roundabout, which has been well publicised.
"This followed a successful bid to the government for additional funding, with a requirement that the scheme is carried out now.
"It is progressing well with completion due in the autumn and we will be holding another public information event on the scheme next month."