Three sets of traffic lights due to be replaced

Work to replace three sets of traffic lights in and around the Chesterfield area is due to begin, the county council has announced.

Derbyshire County Council said it was carrying out the work as the existing traffic lights had reached "the end of their operational life".

It said work on the lights at the junction of the A632 Walton Road and Whitecotes Lane would start on Monday and last for six weeks.

The authority added work on the lights on the A61, Rother Way (Tesco Roundabout), and at the junction between the A619 Worksop Road and Norbriggs Road in Mastin Moor would begin on Tuesday.

The council said the works in Rother Way would take six weeks, while the works in Mastin Moor would last seven weeks.

According to the council, the new lights would be more energy-efficient, reliable, and equipped with advanced technology.

This would allow for better co-ordination of traffic flow and a priority system for late-running buses, the authority added.

Charlotte Hill, cabinet member for potholes, highways and transport, said: "These lights have reached the end of their operational life so we are replacing them before they start to cause problems.

"We do realise that the work may cause some traffic delays, but are keeping the majority of the work we do outside of the busiest times on the roads, between 9:15 and 3:30pm.

"Although the work is happening at the same time, they are far enough apart not to cause issues on the road network.

"Our contractors will have people on site to manage traffic through the works, so they can keep an eye on traffic building up in either direction."

The council said the works were being carried out by Crown Highways, on behalf of the authority, as part of a nationwide initiative funded by the Department for Transport aimed at improving bus services.

Advanced notice of work signs would be placed on approaches to the junction to inform road users of the upcoming works, the authority added.

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