Overnight A494 closures for new weather monitoring station installation

A new weather monitoring system is to be installed on the A494 bypass near Shotwick at the end of this month.

National Highways will replace the existing Environmental Sensor Station (ESS) located on the eastbound carriageway of the A494 just over the border in England.

Environmental Sensor Stations feature atmospheric sensors and road sensors cabled from the weather station to the road.

They measure snow and ice, visibility in fog, high winds, flooding, air temperature, humidity and precipitation.

The information from the weather stations goes directly to National Highways’ control rooms, this way the data is available to National Highways’ staff and weather forecasters in real-time.

The current ESS on the A494 bypass has been in operation for more than two decades but has reached the end of its serviceable life and now needs replacing.

The renewal work will begin with a series of four overnight closures starting on Tuesday (31 October).

The closures will take place on the A494 eastbound carriageway from the Deeside Park junction to where the bypass intersects with the M56 at Dunkirk roundabout.

National Highways has scheduled the work between 8pm and 6am when traffic volumes are at their lowest.

Additional overnight closures will be in place between 8pm and 6am on the following dates.

• Thursday, 9 November
• Wednesday, 29 November
• Thursday, 30 November
• Thursday, 7 December
• Thursday, 11 January
• Thursday, 18 January

Full road closures will be clearly indicated with signed diversion routes, established in collaboration with local authorities and emergency services.

Paul Cardus, Project Manager at National Highways said:

“We understand that our work may cause some inconvenience, and we apologise in advance for any disruption it may bring to road users.

“This essential work is aimed at ensuring the safety and efficiency of our roads, and our teams are dedicated to keeping disruption to a minimum.”