More delays expected as Styal Road to close for 12 weeks

Drivers can expect long delays in Wilmslow town centre over the coming weeks as Styal Road will be closed from Monday, 18th September, for approximately 12 weeks.

The closure between HM Prison Styal and the junction with Cliff Road is to enable Electricity North West to upgrade to the local power network.

Additionally, Swan Street is now closed until September 20th and Hawthorn Lane is closed from Bank Square to Hawthorn Grove until October 4th for Electricity North West to install new cables.

Mark Dermody contacted wilmslow.co.uk to say "The traffic today in Wilmslow is unacceptable. Cheshire East have allowed 5 sets of simultaneous roadworks that are causing havoc."

Engineers from Electricity North West, the region's power network operator, are replacing 5km of underground electricity cables between Alderley Edge and Wilmslow.

Road signs will be in place, a diversion route will be signposted and traffic will be monitored.

More than 22,000 homes and business in Wilmslow, Handforth, Chelford and Alderley Edge are set to benefit from a £1.7m upgrade to the local power network.

Electricity North West said the project, which will replace faulty oil-filled cables which have been in place for around 60 years, with new environmentally-friendly and efficient cables was scheduled to start in August but having listened to feedback they adapted the plan.

John Pietsch, South Operations Transmission Manager, for Electricity North West, said: "We're proud to be investing almost £2m in the local community to ensure 22,000 customers enjoy a reliable supply of power which we all take for granted every day.

"Power cuts are thankfully rare, but as these cables were first installed in the 1960s it's vital we upgrade them now and replace a faulty cable, so we continue to deliver an excellent, safe and affordable service to all our customers across the region.

"It's an investment of around £1 per property per year to keep power flowing for at least another 60 years, so it's great to be delivering such value for such an essential service to the local area."

It is anticipated that the works on Styal Road will be completed by Friday 8th December 2017.

Tags:
Electricity North West, Road Closures, Styal Road
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Comments

Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.

Laurie Atterbury
Wednesday 13th September 2017 at 6:00 pm
It just goes on and on. Even if you can escape from Wilmslow you are confronted by roadworks 360 degrees. Gonna move soon methinks as Wilmslow has become overated.
Suzanne Metcalfe
Wednesday 13th September 2017 at 6:39 pm
This isn't fair. Taking me nearly 2 hrs to travel 14 miles. This needs to be put back. My commute is nearly 4 hrs a day with all the other road closures. The people who make these decisions are obviously not in this traffic everyday!
You need to wait until the A34 is done or the runway tunnels.
There again someone gave airport city the go ahead to cause more traffic through wilmslow before the infrastructure was laid!
Bob Bracegirdle
Wednesday 13th September 2017 at 6:39 pm
Not just Wilmslow. Everywhere there's road works.

I liked the comments though - not addressing the problems.
Martin Duguid
Wednesday 13th September 2017 at 8:37 pm
What is the matter with the planning and traffic departments in Cheshire East? Instead of hiding behind statements by utility contractors like Electricity North West I would like to see a sanctioned, public statement from the Council justifying this totally uncoordinated shambles on our local roads. After all, nobody can dig so much as a hole without council permission. Have they never heard of prioritising, phasing - even refusing permission????
Absolutely hopeless ...
Dave Cash
Thursday 14th September 2017 at 2:55 am
Many more than 20,000 motorists/bus passengers will be affected by these planned road works.
Is the current spate to avoid Govt plans to introduce Utility road renting?
Pete Taylor
Thursday 14th September 2017 at 7:41 am
Sign the petition to the Secretary of State requesting CEC to be put in Special Measures for repeated failures.

http://bit.ly/2eTWAg4
Nick Jones
Thursday 14th September 2017 at 8:58 am
Maybe a CEC Cllr can explain ??

Perhaps this explanation could expand to the pertinent ABILENE PARADOX; Where a group of people collectively (CEC) decide on a course of action that is counter to the preferences of the many (Electorate) and involves the breakdown of communication and each member of the group (CEC) mistakenly believes that their own preferences are best.

Basically an inability to manage agreement. Or in CEC case just manage ... 1650 signatures to this petition to Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government to put Cheshire East Council into Special Measures... Mr Taylor has Identified the Link above.
Mark Goldsmith
Thursday 14th September 2017 at 10:57 am
There are 168 hours in a week. But utility companies only want to use 40 of them (if that) to fix their products beneath OUR roads.

So this work could be done in 3 weeks if councils or the government actually bothered to put road owners inconvenience before the utility companies profits.

I won't hold my breath though...
Chris Neill
Thursday 14th September 2017 at 12:08 pm
Sign the petition as shown above.
Meantime, anybody know how to reach the airport without setting off the day before?
John Clegg
Thursday 14th September 2017 at 3:12 pm
Travel from Wilmslow to points north and west is hindered by roadworks. It's not as if those points are important: Manchester, Manchester Airport, M56 motorway...

Can someone explain how this is allowed to happen? It smacks of the dismissive contempt that Manchester City Council has for motorists. I agree that something needs to be done to help reduce car use but there is no coherent policy.
The government has endorsed a car-owning public, because it helps the wider economy - or at least has encouraged it, with "car-scrappage" schemes in 2009, and without seriously helping provide for local alternative transport such as a proper 'bus and rail network.
Manchester City Council hopes to terrorize people out of cars with delays caused by roadworks, parking charges, ever more speed limits and 'bus lanes, without providing alternatives.
Is this what's happening in CEC?
Mike O'Rourke
Thursday 14th September 2017 at 4:52 pm
The map doesn't show the road which is going to be closed.
Jon Newell
Saturday 16th September 2017 at 10:50 am
The current road works highlight the parking issue at the Nat West end of Grove Street. Even though we have single lane, traffic light controlled, running, we still have those who think they can park on pedestrianised area so they can visit the bank, the cafe, etc.

On both Friday and Saturday of this week, there were three huge cars parked. Not only are they parking illegally, they are blocking the access to the designated disabled parking bays - a frequent situation.

I know there are tickets given for this offence but it is obviously no deterrent. Although I have not started taking down numbers, I am sure there are a number of repeat offenders. We could fund the building of a suitable car park from the revenue generated by a more systematic approach.
DELETED ACCOUNT
Saturday 16th September 2017 at 11:23 am
Jon agree - cars also park on the back of Grove Street which causes enormous problems because the buses and delivery lorries have to use that road too. One day the whole of that back road was completely jammed because of the parking - right at the top behind the estate agents. The effect was that you could turn in by Tesco's Express but then the traffic was not moving at all and so cars were having to use the slip road in front of Tescos to try and escape the mayhem. The traffic warden does his best but he can't be everywhere.

On Friday morning the roads by Kenmore and the Health Centre completely blocked - usual practice of cars having to drive over the pavement to get through. At the front cars parked opposite the Coach and Four on a main road. Meanwhile the carpark behind Sainsburys was virtually empty.
Pete Taylor
Thursday 21st September 2017 at 12:09 pm
No response from the CEC Ward Councillors; as usual.
Presumably, if this new cabling is going through the centre of Wilmslow and on to Alderley village, there is a whole traffic nightmare about to unfold?
It would have been nice if one (or more) of our Ward Councillors could have put us in the picture, especially as the Cabinet member with responsibility for highways has stepped down, reportedly due to one of the four ongoing Police investigations into CEC.
Siobhan Southam
Monday 16th October 2017 at 5:23 pm
For the residents of Lacey Green the Styal road roadworks are creating a hazard as well as delays. The volume and speed of cars down Lacey a Green road is completely unacceptable. There has already been one accident that I am aware of - my neighbours classic car hit by a new black Mercedes coupe that did not stop! As the days get shorter this is only going to get worse and other than some ineffective signs there is nothing to either prevent or slow the traffic