Multi-million Stafford bypass work begins

Workers have started clearing trees alongside the long-stay car park at Doxey Road.

It is expected to take three weeks to complete.

Then on Monday, February 8, the foundations of the new route will start to be laid at the same site in works referred to as 'trial piling' which is a method of supporting structures inserting large amounts of wood, steel and concrete into the soil.

Staffordshire County Council, who are behind the scheme, has vowed that noise disruption will be kept to a minimum while traffic in the area will not be affected until works to link the new bypass to existing roads starts at a later date.

Councillor Mark Winnington, economy, environment and transport boss, said: "These are the first works for the Stafford Western Access Route and will enable us to finalise the design whilst exploring options to reduce the impact of the main works by finding the best way to build the new road.

"We have listened to the concerns of local residents about the proposed piling and we will continue to inform nearby residents throughout the works.

"We can assure them that every effort will be made to minimise the impact and disruption to the local area."

When completed the new road will connect the A34 Foregate Street at the north of the town and Newport Road to the west.

The project, which will hopefully alleviate traffic congestion in and around Stafford, has been touted since 2010 but only received planning approval last year.

Residents launched a campaign against the new road and expressed concerns about the impact of the piling method on some of the existing older homes in the area.

The whole scheme will be developed in three sections, the first costing £26.3million while funding from the second has been secured from an £82.2million Growth Deal between the Government and the Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent Local Enterprise Partnership.

It is expected that developers hoping to build homes to the west of Stafford will stump up the cash for the final part.