Road closure on Church Road extended to February 26 due to urgent UKPN work; impacts school runs.
Last Friday, they shut Witham Road, putting power cables underground. Work moved to Church Lane afterward, and Witham Road opened back up Monday evening.
Church Lane should have reopened Sunday, February 23, but the Parish Council just shared an update: the road will actually stay closed until Wednesday, February 26 due to the closure getting extended.
Apparently, UKPN had a more urgent job and had to send workers elsewhere for now; however, Witham Road is still open, and buses are running normally through town also.
Road closures last year caused big traffic jams, including Bakers Lane, Buck Hill, and Church Road. A detour went from Witham Road to London Road via Godlings Way, making it four miles long.
UKPN is laying cables underground to make the power network better and replace the old ones; they are also working on Bakers Lane and Church Road as well.
Back in October, they wanted more time and asked to extend the work permit to November 17, but they didn’t get it. Road signs came down on November 3, even though some work was still unfinished.
Essex Highways gave UKPN a license for February 14 to February 23, planning it during the school break, but now school runs will be affected next week when the work lasts until February 26.