DIVERSION misery is over for Crewe motorists heading to and from Chester after a major roadworks scheme was completed.

The A51 has reopened on schedule after a 16-week closure, which drew criticism from local businesses along the busy route.

Cheshire East Council needed to undertake essential improvement works at Wardle, which involved the stabilisation of 750 metres of carriageway.

A section of road between the junction of Bougheys Distribution and the Texaco Petrol Station was also be resurfaced with new kerbs and gullies installed.

The road carries heavy haulage traffic from across the region, including from the ports of Liverpool and Holyhead.

The finishing touches to the project and its reopening last Friday (December 17) were witnessed by councillors and members of the highways project team.

Cllr Craig Browne, Cheshire East Council deputy leader and chair of the council's highways and transport committee, said: "This scheme has been vitally important to ensure the long-term safety and stability of the road. Our highways team has worked tirelessly to meet the 16-week project schedule and see the road reopened on time.

"We apologise for the disruption this has caused and we thank our residents and local businesses for their patience and understanding while the scheme has been underway.

"This has been a challenging scheme and I also want to thank Cheshire East highways and our engineers for keeping the works on track, working safely and completing such a professional job."

The section of road was reopened by Cheshire East Mayor, and local ward member, Cllr Sarah Pochin, who said: "A huge congratulations to Cheshire East highways for completing such a complex job and on schedule.

"This represents a wonderful Christmas present for residents and businesses and highways should be proud of the work they have done and the way in which they have kept residents and businesses informed throughout the project."

Diversions in place included via the A534 Wrexham Road and A49 (heading to Chester), while for taller HGVs it was recommended they travelled via the A530/A54 to avoid the section of the A51 (see map).

As part of the project's environmental mitigation, the team reused 1,676 tonnes of recycled material and were able to cut virgin aggregate use by 942 tonnes, reducing any environmental impact.

The road has been totally rebuilt where it runs alongside the Shropshire Union Canal.