Major slip roads in Derby shut for 13 months

Roadworks which will affect traffic on one of the main routes into Derby for more than a year have begun.

Slip roads to and from the A52 on to Wyvern Way are closed from Monday, one for 13 weeks - the other for 13 months.

Businesses and residents fear the project, which is 12 months behind schedule and at £42m nearly three times over budget, will affect them again.

Derby City Council said the scheme will deliver benefits and it was doing all it could to reduce disruption.

The westbound slip road into the Wyvern Retail Park will be closed for 13 weeks so it can be straightened and the Derwent Parade roundabout will also get an extra lane.

Meanwhile, the slip road that leads back to the A52 will be closed for 13 months to allow a new footbridge over the road to be assembled on site.

This work is just one stage of the A52 Transport Improvement Scheme, which aims to reduce congestion and improve journey times.

Doug Banton, who lives and works nearby, said: "I work in a DIY store and it has already hit our footfall.

"We have customers from Nottingham and Derby and when they close the access it will make the situation worse."

Helen Macdonald, from nearby Porterbrook Rail Leasing, added: "Why is it taking so long? My perception - and a lot of people I have spoken to - is they drive past and don't see anyone working on it."

Earlier this year, an audit report identified a series of mistakes with the project, saying "everything that could go wrong did go wrong".

Project manager Phil Massey said they were working to "shorten the programme as much as possible".

"Unfortunately any scheme like this will cause disruption on the network but we are working to try and maximise the disruption in the summer to avoid the Christmas period," he said.

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