£300,000 anti-skid plan for major route

A major route through South Staffordshire will be fitted with an anti-skid surface as part of a £300,000 project aimed at slashing the number of motorcycle crashes.

Highways bosses today unveiled the safety project for a stretch of the busy A5, between Gailey island and the county boundary past Weston Park. The project will see sections of the carriageway resurfaced to boost skid resistance while new road markings will also be put in place. Warning signs will be installed to highlight junctions and sharp bends.

There will also be "passive posts" which will help to reduce the risk of injury following a collision.

They are designed to take the brunt of the force if they are hit by a motorcycle or vehicle.

As part of the scheme, being spearheaded by Staffordshire Highways, improvements will also be made to the drainage system and plants and shrubs alongside the road will be cleared to ensure that drivers can see the new safety markings.

The work, which will be completed in two stages, will start next month and is expected to take around seven weeks to complete.

The second stage of the project will start next spring.

The junctions of Congreave Lane, Ivy House Lane, The Avenue and School Lane will be closed individually while resurfacing work is carried out from December 14 to 18. Advance warning signs and diversions will be put in place.

The first phase of the A5 works will cost £130,000 while the second phase is estimated to cost £205,000.

Similar improvements are planned to take place at a further seven routes across Staffordshire during 2010/2011 thanks to government cash, although highways chiefs have not yet announced where.

The whole project is being funded by a £854,000 Department for Transport grant which will be spent over two years.

Staffordshire County Councillor Rex Roberts OBE said nine motorcyclists were killed in 2008 on Staffordshire's roads, 53 were seriously injured and 271 suffered minor injuries.