A38 sliproad in Staffordshire to close for 15 months due to new HS2 Streethay works
Drivers in Staffordshire have been warned of delays when an A38 exit slip road will close for 15 months.
The southbound slip road will be closed at Streethay due to HS2 construction work with a diversion being put in place for motorists via the Swinfen Island.
National Highways announced there will be free vehicle recovery on that stretch of the A38 to minimise traffic problems.
HS2 will pass through Streethay in a cutting, as well as bridges which will be built underneath the A38 carriageway, slip roads and local existing railway lines.
A spokesman for National Highways said: "The closure will allow construction work to start on the supporting foundations and structures of one of the bridges.
"The closure will be in place from 9pm on August 1. Drivers are being advised not to use satellite navigation systems but to instead follow the signed diversion.
"To help keep disruption to a minimum, free vehicle recovery will be provided for broken down vehicles."
The HS2 have redesigned the route and the new Streethay cutting will see the high speed rail line, which will link Birmingham to Manchester, pass underneath the busy dual carriageway.
A HS2 spokesman said:"The new high-speed railway will pass through Streethay in a cutting and HS2’s designers have reduced the length of wall structures from 1.6 kilometres to 420 metres, meaning 80 per cent less concrete will be needed.
"This will save around 70,000 cubic metres of concrete, the equivalent to 6,700 concrete mixer lorry loads and 420,000 tonnes of carbon."
The HS2 spokesman added: "Overall construction time will be shorter and excavated material will be reused locally to reduce lorry movements. The shortening of the retaining structures also means the community will experience less noise and disruption during construction as there will be fewer large machines on site.
"Most of the Streethay cutting will now have sloping earth banks, improving the visual appearance of the railway and increasing the opportunity for wildlife habitats and landscape planting to protect against noise from the railway."
