TRAFFIC chaos in Ottery was narrowly averted last week after it was discovered that roadworks planned for the centre of town would have clashed with another diversion.
Major works that started on Saturday (5) in Newton Poppleford will close the A3052 for three weeks, and traffic is set to be directed around the village on a route that will run through Broad Street and Tip Hill.
But highways officials at Devon County Council (DCC) had planned to close Broad Street for five nights from Saturday to finish resurfacing work that was started last week.
Steve Clarkson, who works in Silver Street, contacted the Herald on Tuesday after he spotted that workers had changed a set of signs to warn motorists that the road was due to be shut from October 7.
He said: “It would cause chaos – especially if drivers don’t know how to avoid the centre of town.”
“Obviously the two groups doing the work haven’t spoken to each other.”
A DCC spokesperson said that they had now ‘become aware’ the two diversions would clash.
They added that the resurfacing work on Broad Street has now been postponed until the road through Newton Poppleford is reopened in three weeks.
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