Drivers face 50-mile diversion as Herefordshire main road shuts

The A40 near Ross-on-Wye is being closed by Highways England from 8pm on Monday (April 26) to 6am on Tuesday.

The road will be closed from the Wilton roundabout to the Oveross roundabout for an inspection.

The dual carraigeway will be closed in both directions as the inspections take place.

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But the official diversion from Highways England is more than 50 miles long, taking drivers from Ross-on-Wye up the A49 to Hereford, across to Ledbury, before joining the M50 to return to the south Herefordshire town.

The diversion will also apply in reverse.

Herefordshire Council's online roadworks map shows the diversion is 81km, or 50.3 miles, and would take about one hour and 17 minutes. 

The 1.4 mile trip between the two roundabouts would usually take two minutes.

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While people living locally will go through the town centre to avoid the closure, the official diversion cannot go through Ross-on-Wye.

The reason for the length of the diversion is because the closure is on an A-road and therefore any official alternative route must use the same class of road.