A £900,000 resurfacing scheme has started on Horninglow Road North in Burton. 

The scheme is phase one of a programme of improvements to be carried out on the road over the next year, and is part of a wider £6 million investment by the county council into Burton's roads.

Work will include reconstruction and resurfacing of the road from the junction of Horninglow Croft to the junction of Farm Road. Repairs to the drainage systems, kerbing, ironwork, and footpaths will also be included. Work started on January 15, and is expected to take around six weeks to complete.

To make sure the work can be carried out safely, temporary traffic lights will be in place during the initial works and drivers are being asked to allow more time for journeys.

The resurfacing work is estimated to take around one week to complete and will be carried out during the February half term holiday (12 to 18) to help minimise any disruption. A full road closure will be in place for the resurfacing work, followed by an off-peak closure from 9.30am to 2.30pm and 7.30pm to 5.30am for the remaining carriageway lining works. A fully signed diversion will be in operation when the road is closed.

Although our main programme of maintenance starts in the spring, our highways crews will be out throughout the winter ensuring the county’s worst defects are made safe, before performing a longer-lasting repair.

The recent rainfall and freezing temperatures has seen more defects appear across the county so crews will be pulling out all the stops to undertake holding repairs to the worst potholes in the county.

Crews usually start their main defect repair activities in March and April, when weather conditions are more favourable to creating long-lasting repairs.

Last year saw a record 16,000 pothole jobs completed by crews up and down the county, with a job usually consisting of two or three potholes.

As well as this, the county council has invested new technology such as the JCB Pothole Pro, Thermal Road Repairs, and groundbreaking AI technology that identifies and categorises potholes to be repaired.

And, with the county council’s recently announced £50 million investment in roads over the next three years, this means crews will resurface more roads and fix more defects.

A regeneration project to improve walking and cycling routes in Cannock town centre is progressing well.

The 12-week scheme will see new shared cycle routes, upgraded crossing points and widened footways in Church Street and Ringway, as well as a new link from Allport Road to Beecroft Road car park. It forms part of wider regeneration plans for the town.

A total of £400,000 is being invested in the project thanks to an allocation from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund 2 (LUF2). This follows a successful bid by the county council to the national programme. Funding has to be spent for specific improvements set out in the bid and cannot be used for general road repairs or maintenance.

While this takes place, National Grid is carrying out essential works to install a new power supply to Cannock hospital. This avoids unnecessary extra disruption at a later date.

Further information about this project can be seen on the project webpage.

The LUF2 scheme includes:

• An upgrade to the existing puffin crossing on A34 Ringway to a toucan crossing
• A shared footway/cycleway along Church Street between Hednesford Road and Allport Road on the northern side
• Provision of new link from Beecroft Road Car Park to Allport Road
• Improvements to uncontrolled crossings, street lighting and traffic signs

During the works period, traffic management will be needed so that it can be carried out safely. This will include a closure of the Hednesford Road/Lichfield Road junction for one to two days, as well as lane closures on Church Street, Ringway and Mill Street.

January has seen crews begin work on the refurbishment and repair of Cheddleton Heath Bridge. The works came about after a recent inspection discovered that the underside of the concrete bridge deck had deteriorated badly.

The work will cost approximately £70,000 and will extend the structure's useful life for several more years and will help protect public safety. The repairs will mainly be carried out under the bridge, whilst the Churnet Valley Railway is closed for the winter season.

Some of the works will require a one lane closure on the A520 Leek/Cheadle Road, which will be monitored by temporary traffic lights and is estimated to remain in place for two weeks. Inevitably, extensive works of this nature may lead to delays, but pedestrian access will be maintained. The works are scheduled to last around 8 weeks.