Key route closed amid ongoing repair works
BBCA key route through Gloucester will be closed for "at least a couple of days" amid ongoing work to repair a damaged water main, Severn Trent Water has said.
The A417 Over Causeway closed outbound, between Alney Island and Over Roundabout, at 19:00 BST on Friday to allow Severn Trent to make emergency repairs to a water main.
The water company said it "found more damage to the road than expected" and it would remain closed to "keep everyone safe".
The closure caused widespread disruption over the weekend. Some reported being stuck in standstill gridlock for almost four hours on Saturday.
"Our teams have been working across the weekend to repair the burst and repair the road," a Severn Trent Water spokesperson said.
"Unfortunately we have found more damage to the road than expected and so the current closure will need to remain in place for at least a couple of days in order to keep everyone safe while we complete the repair.
"We are dealing with this as a top priority and apologise sincerely for the disruption that this is causing".
The damaged pipework has been fixed but the road closure will remain in place to allow tarmac from the road surface repairs to set.
Severn Trent said customer supplies were not affected by the damaged water main.
Motorists said "appalling" traffic control caused gridlock and drivers reported being stuck in the car park of St Oswalds Retail Park for hours on Friday.
A spokesperson for NGSL Parking, which runs the retail park's car park, said tickets will not be issued for Saturday or Sunday.
Steve Husbands, company director of Import Furniture Depot on Westgate Island, said the road closure has been "an absolute nightmare".
As the retail park is built "on a roundabout", Mr Husbands said it was "very, very quiet" for business due to the traffic jams over the weekend, with "no customers" as drivers struggled to get in and out of the retail park.
"It's one of those things we could do without at the moment," he said.
"I travel from Hereford most days, it took me two-and-a-half hours to get home the other day when it usually takes me 35 to 40 minutes straight over [Over Causeway]," Mr Husbands said.
"The roads are gridlocked and unfortunately there are no signs anywhere to try and find a better route.
"So not good at all, to be honest."
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