Somerset County Council has defended its policy on co-ordinating roadworks following a month of disruptive closures and diversions along key roads in Burnham-On-Sea.
Motorists have complained after Love Lane, Berrow Road and Oxford Street were partially or fully closed at the same time, causing long tailbacks and diversions.
Talking to Burnham-On-Sea.com, a spokesman for Somerset County Council’s highways team said: “We receive around 85 requests for roadworks every day and work hard to co-ordinate them all so that disruption is kept to a minimum.”
“In Burnham, Wessex Water is upgrading a sewer until May. Meanwhile, Wales and West Utilities requested to maintain gas pipes. If either scheme were delayed, this would have meant roadworks running into the busy summer season, which we try to avoid if possible.”
“Additional roadworks on Oxford Street were emergency cable repair works by Western Power Distribution. We cannot stop emergency repairs and we also have a duty to allow utility firms to maintain their apparatus to ensure services for local people are not disrupted.”
Burnham-On-Sea.com has received feedback from many local residents in recent weeks refarding the disruption.
One reader, Vickie McDiarmid, said: “Great planning! Roadworks everywhere in Burnham causing major traffic disruption. Hawley Way, Berrow Road and Oxford Street. Who actually sorts this out, does no-one communicate to see what else is going on in the area at the same time! Rant over!”
Another reader, Greg Smith, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “There always appears to be minimal co-ordination between the various services – water, electric, phone, etc. The latest works caused gridlock and long delays at peak times. That said, I’m relieved the works didn’t all go ahead at at peak summer holiday time!”
