National Highways Resurfaces A50 and Sets Long Diversion

National Highways has introduced a 43-mile diversion around overnight closures on the A50 in Staffordshire as resurfacing work takes place on the major route connecting the M1 and M6. The diversion affects drivers travelling between the A518 Derby Road roundabout and Ashbourne Interchange.

The eastbound diversion runs from 20:00 BST until 05:00 from Monday night through Friday, taking traffic through Uttoxeter, Stafford, Rugeley near Lichfield, and Doveridge, according to National Highways. The agency said the resurfacing is required to bring the road section up to its standards.

The unusual length of the route has drawn criticism from roads website author Chris Marshall, who described the proposed diversion as a "magical mystery tour". He said the closure area is normally only about five miles apart on the A50 but the alternative journey could take about an hour even overnight.

"It's [usually] about five miles on the A50 from one end of the closure to the other, and it's going to take you about an hour's drive [during the closure] to get from one end of this to the other, even in the middle of the night." Marshall said.

Marshall, from the UK roads website, also called the diversion "an absolute beast of a thing" while explaining the challenges involved in planning routes for all vehicle types.

National Highways said the diversion routes are planned with local authorities to ensure they can handle different traffic needs. The agency warned drivers to follow official signs rather than satellite navigation routes.

"Essential resurfacing work is needed to bring this section of the A50 up to National Highways standards," a National Highways spokesperson said.

"We carefully plan and agree diversion routes with local authorities to ensure they are appropriate for all forms of traffic," the National Highways spokesperson said.

"For safety reasons, we urge motorists to use the diversions signposted rather than follow their sat-navs as alternative routes in the area cannot always cope with large vehicles or heavy volumes of traffic," the National Highways spokesperson said.

Westbound works between Doveridge and Blythe Bridge had already been underway for two weeks, with traffic issues reported in Tean, Fole, and other rural villages along the diversion route.

Checkley Parish Council chair Stephanie Akerman said traffic management in Tean had created a "pinch point" as drivers used alternative routes during the westbound closures.

Marshall explained that diversion planners must consider road width, height limits, vehicle weights, level crossings, existing roadworks, and different road authorities when selecting routes.

"You end up with this crazy, magical mystery tour because the quest is to find a route that every single vehicle that might turn up at the closure point would be able to follow from end to end," Marshall said.

He added that the final route can appear unusual because it crosses roads managed by different organisations.

"What you see once they've come up with the route is none of the reasoning, and you just see this crazy itinerary that's been developed via Stafford and Lichfield," Marshall said.