Frustration at lack of communication around A449 roadworks

The Dudley Arms and Miller and Carter Steakhouse are at opposite ends of parts of the works to patch up parts of the A449, but both Dudley Arms manager Neil Thomas and Miller and Carter General Manager Matthew Turner have said the works will create issues for them.

The planned works will begin on Monday, May 22 and will last for extended periods over the next month, with phased and rolling closures taking place between 9.30am and 3.30pm to avoid rush hour, then starting again around 6.30pm and continuing into the late evening.

Although Staffordshire Council have said the work will see sections of road reopened within 30 minutes of surface dressing treatment, both Neil Thomas and Matthew Turner have spoken of potential issues for themselves while work on the mile-long section goes on.

Mr Thomas, whose pub the Dudley Arms will be right next to the end of the works, said he'd only heard about the planned works when the signs went up to inform road users of the planned works.

He said: "The first anyone told me anything about it was when the signs started going up, so I was very surprised to find out that this work was going on.

"We should have been given more notice about it and we should have been given a say on it as well as it's going to affect everyone, such as my staff, who are going to have issues getting here and it's going to be a nightmare for everyone coming here to and from Wolverhampton.

"I also think that some of the customers will give up and not bother coming here while the works are going on, which is going to cost me, and I'm just frustrated as we're here and have been here for a long time and we've not had any real communication about it."

Mr Turner said he'd first heard about the works was on the Facebook page Wombourne Online and said it would cause him problems as he lived in Stourbridge.

He said: "I found out that parts of the road are going to be close, but what we don't know is whether it will be part or all of the dual carriageway, plus how much it will affect us due to the roundabout being affected.

"We've had no communication from the council about this and, as with Dudley Arms, we've seen the signs out telling people, but I just know it's going to cause some issues.

"Ultimately, it would have been nice to have had some notice about it to prepare for it, even just a heads up."

Staffordshire County Council Cabinet Member for Highways David Williams said: “The proposed phased closures are part of our summer surface dressing works.

"Surface dressing prolongs the life of a road, and this treatment is all part of our £5 million investment in road repairs, on top of an extra £30 million investment in Staffordshire’s roads over the next two years.

"The works are currently planned for late May into early June 2023.”