Painswick drivers face more delays (From Stroud News and Journal)

Painswick drivers face more delays

THE A46 is set to close again. Repairs to the key route in and out of Stroud have been delayed for the second time.

The stretch of road at Pitchcombe will be shut down completely from March 8 for two weeks and more work is scheduled for the end of March.

The £350,000 scheme to save the road from subsidence has hit more snags because larger excavations under the road have had to be made and the highway will now need to be completely reconstructed.

The stretch of road between the Painswick-Gloucester junction and Salmon Springs has been reduced to single carriageway for almost a year because the road has been slipping away.

Over the years, several attempts have been made to arrest the subsidence, the latest of which began November 2001.

Because of a problem with telecommunication cables, Gloucestershire County Council highways officials claimed they could not start full works on time and put the finish date back to March 2002.

Nigel Powell, GCC divisional surveyor, apologised for the inconvenience but said the road would have to be closed in the interest of public safety.

The alternative route given by the council is to use the A38 or M5.