A48 Roadworks

Following my earlier contact, I've received a detailed update from Gloucestershire County Council (albeit, after office hours so I could not go back to them in real time) regarding the ongoing works along the A48 and in Steam Mills. (I did however, also receive several emails from schools and parents concerned their children were having to miss lessons and be late to school or finish even earlier than normal for appointments and so forth!) I was informed that a mix of emergency and planned works are taking place, with various traffic lights in place for safety and structural repair reasons:

Chaxhill, Westbury-on-Severn – Planned footpath upgrades under 2-way lights, manually controlled at peak times. Due to finish Thursday 1st May.

Broadoak – Emergency gas leak repairs under 2-way lights, due to complete tomorrow.

Steam Hill – Structural culvert and wall repairs.

Lydney – Bridge repairs, lights were inspected today and are now functioning.

Plump Hill – A one-day road closure has been granted for Sunday 11th May.

Incorrect signage is being investigated with an update expected this Thursday.

I want to be clear that I am disappointed by this response and remain concerned by the broader coordination of these works. Crucially, there was no response to my specific request for some of these works to be paused during rush hour or deferred until smaller projects are completed — a question I have now raised again and will continue to push for answers on. I have also asked them to confirm that there is only one set of emergency works in the list above. The rest appear to be planned.

For too long, the Forest has been forgotten or not prioritised, and this is yet another example of that. No one enjoys roadworks, but people understand they are necessary. What’s not acceptable is the lack of joined-up planning that results in multiple key routes being disrupted at once, causing chaos for local residents and commuters. I’ve informed the new Chief Executive of GCC and will be raising this example, with others, directly when I meet with her in May. As I said in my earlier posts, school children are being affected, patients are missing hospital appointments, and commuters are being late for work and having extended journeys home! This needs to be addressed!

I’ll also be visiting the sites again tomorrow morning and contacting the Council again.

If you’re affected, I encourage you to report concerns to highways@gloucestershire.gov.uk and feel free to copy me in at matt.bishop.mp@parliament.uk. I will keep pushing for better and will continue to keep you updated, it's time the Forest of Dean was treated equally to its neighbours.