Traders say their livelihood will be lost because of roadworks requiring the closure of part of the main road between Maldon and Chelmsford.
Works to raise kerbs and improve lighting on the A414 in Danbury will begin on Monday. It will involve single lane closures and traffic signals to manage the continual flow of vehicles.
But traders are most concerned about the prospect of whole sections of the road being closed to traffic in both directions for 12 weeks during the second phase of work, between April and July, when new drains will be installed and the road resurfaced.
Vicki Yabsley, owner of More Than Flowers and spokeswoman for Danbury Traders' Association, said: "Every one of the 65 businesses in Danbury will be affected in one way or another.
"We will lose passing and local trade because people aren't going to fight their way through jams and signs and diversions, they're going to avoid it."
Rodney Bass, county council cabinet member for highways, said he has spoken to traders in person and believes the council has given a "dramatically long" period of notice for the works.
Published Tuesday, November 16, 2004
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