Residents have expressed their frustration with life on the A52 in Radcliffe-on-Trent, with some saying they regret moving to the roadwork-plagued area. People living along the Grantham Road stretch of the major road are currently enduring work being carried out at its Bingham Road junction.
As part of the plans, Highways England is widening the approaches to the junction installing traffic lights. It comes as part of wider work to the A52 in the area over the last year, with improvements also being made to the Nottingham Road and Cropwell Road junctions.
One resident, Barry Trussler, said he and his family often have "no chance" of pulling out of their drive onto the road. The 57-year-old said he has been left waiting as long as 10 minutes for a motorist to let him out.
Read more: Frustration in Nottinghamshire village used as a 'rat run' due to A52 roadworks
"I understand they've got to do work but the flow of traffic is just constant, especially at rush hour," he told Nottinghamshire Live. "It's always been a challenge living on the road but not as difficult as it is now. We rely on people to let us out;" He said there should "absolutely" be a bypass.
John Mistry, who owns Mace Woodside Store on the road, said the work was a "waste of time". "They're saying it's going to improve the junction but I don't see it. It's not worth the hassle it's caused for people round here," he said.
One resident said the road had problems with speeding and roadworks that have been going on "for months and months." The woman, who wished to remain anonymous as she intended to one day sell her house, said she regretted moving in two years ago.
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"We bought it during lockdown," she said. "So we didn't realise how bad it could get. I regret buying it, absolutely 100 per cent." The woman added that the road "didn't have the capacity" for the traffic, which includes dozens of lorries an hour, and also suggested that a bypass should be built.
Another woman who lives on the road, Michelle Ison, is trying to sell her house but said its close proximity to the A52 was "putting off" potential buyers. However, she said the road "doesn't bother me at all".
The 67-year-old said: "It bothers people who don't live here, who say 'it must be awful'. But you get used to it. In the back you don't even notice it, it can be quite comforting knowing that there's life around you."
National Highways senior project manager, Nick Medlicott said: “We understand the concerns of local residents and we are in regular contact with them to try and limit disruption caused by this vital upgrade of the A52.
“Safety is always our priority and we have made sure that resident access in and out of properties is maintained at all times and we have tried to limit disruption as much as possible.
“To make sure everybody is kept safe while we have heavy plant machinery on-site, we are safely escorting people in and out of the works area.
“We know that roadworks aren’t always popular but they are a necessity to carry out this significant upgrade programme on a very busy junction on the A52 in Nottingham which has become a bottleneck for congestion and causes delays for motorists. Once complete it will provide smoother journeys for drivers along the A52 and support economic growth in the area. As part of this upgrade work, we’re also improving crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists along with enhanced cycling and walking routes for local residents.”
