A series of roadworks taking place in Frome have resulted in lengthy tailbacks and traffic standstills in the town.
Major works being carried out on the two main roads into Frome are causing havoc for motorists in the town, who are faced with lengthy delays.
Work being carried out by Somerset County Council continues to cause hold-ups at the Locks Hill and Portway junction. The council is completely refurbishing the road and expects the work to be completed by the 9th of April. Traffic lights have been put in place.
The council has also scheduled a new set of roadworks to be carried out in Bath Street, in the town centre. The works, which started on Monday this week, are to reconstruct a stretch of the footway and are expected to take just under four weeks, with a completion date estimated for Friday 26th March. Traffic lights have been installed whilst the work is carried out.
Meanwhile, Frome’s roads are being affected by diverted traffic now that a four-mile stretch of the A303 near Mere is closed for resurfacing. Traffic is being diverted along the A37 through Shepton Mallett and Frome.
Local trader Bill Savage, who runs a gas and electrical shop in the town has criticised Somerset County Council for a lack of joined-up thinking in scheduling the roadworks.
He said, “The two main arterial routes in Frome now have roadworks on them. Much of the traffic will have to be diverted down the by-pass, which is already busy with traffic being diverted because of the closure of the A303.
“It makes you wonder if there is anybody sat in an office taking notice of exactly what is going on.
“We normally do about six or seven deliveries in one morning but because of the extra traffic we aren’t able to do as many. I dread to think how many customers we may lose over the next four weeks.
“There is a complete lack of communication between the council and businesses like mine when it comes to organising these works. I pay my rates and my road tax, and this is what I get back.”
A spokesperson for Somerset County Council told the Frome Times, “We are currently working at two sites in Frome at either end of the town.
“The Bath Street site is a refurbishment and installation of a new footpath and the Locks Hill is the installation of traffic signals. All work was planned through our street works co-ordination team and as the two sites are a fair distance from each other we have had no problems reported by the public.”
