After shutting a popular route for ten days, roadwork to fix a slightly elevated manhole cover—which should have been “a three-hour job”—has angered shop owners and drivers.
Engineers coned off a lane of the congested A31 close to Wimborne, Dorset, on October 6. It is not anticipated that the lane will reopen until tomorrow evening.
However, BT Openreach’s contractors did not show up to complete the work, leaving a deserted area under the authority of temporary traffic signals.
The “abandoned” works have created “traffic pandemonium” in the neighborhood, resulting in miles of gridlock in both directions and having an effect on local businesses.
Owner of The Caravan Company Paul Clarke claims to have lost £30,000 in business as a result of the “farce,” which has a branch located in the center of the cordoned-off area.
He said that the telecom manhole cover, which BT Openreach claims is dangerous for road users, had nothing “visibly wrong” with it.
The job had been outsourced out, according to Mr. Clarke, 65, who said he called National Highways who then sent him to BT.
However, he said that when he spoke with the contractors to find out when they would arrive to begin the job, they stated that no roadworks had yet been put in place.
It was absurd, Mr. Clarke said. I was being assured that there were no roadworks while staring out of this window at the snarl of traffic.
“This is total ineptitude.”
The fact that the bollards have been in place for 10 days and absolutely no construction workers have been there is the most annoying thing. A sausage not.
One contractor did show up last week and informed me that the task shouldn’t take more than three hours.
They informed me that the road should be open by the end of business on Monday once the crew returns to assess it.
“I would understand if one of the panels were significantly broken or falling off, but the cover is in perfect condition.”
Since they put up the traffic signs and blocked the road, we haven’t had any business.
“We made a loss of roughly £30,000.” Typically, October is our chance to recover after a slow September and prepare for winter.
The fact that no one would accept responsibility for the issue was the most irritating.
The proprietor of the caravan business invited customers to visit his store despite the inconveniences brought on by the construction.
Large sections of the A31 near Ringwood are also affected by other works, which is disrupting traffic.
Recently, a new sign was put up along the route, and sharp-eyed drivers noticed that it spelled Wimborne incorrectly.
Locals criticized National Highways online for their humiliating mistake, which resulted in the town being incorrectly referred to as “Wimbourne.”
A new sign will need to be put up at public money, according to National Highways, although its cost will be covered by the project as a whole.
‘Traffic users are recommended to avoid the area surrounding the A31 near Wimborne owing to road limitations imposed by a malfunctioning manhole,’ a National Highways representative stated about the manhole cover repair.
The area has been kept safe for cars while repairs are being done thanks to temporary traffic signals installed by National Highways in support of the emergency work on the A31.
“Repair work to the unsafe roadway box on the A31 at Wimborne is begun,” a BT Openreach spokeswoman said. “We expect that the traffic control required to undertake these repairs safely will be removed soon after the works are complete.”
We apologize once again for any difficulty caused and appreciate the drivers and surrounding businesses’ patience while we made the road safe.