CONTRACTORS have threatened to close more of a busy road if drivers do not adhere to safety restrictions.

Eurovia and Essex Highways, who are managing roadworks in Ipswich Road and Harwich Road in Colchester, are due to close parts of the road for works starting next month.

However, they have warned if drivers do not adhere to the restrictions, they will have to take further action.

From February 18 to March 11, the northbound carriageway between Fenwick Drive and the Ipswich Road roundabout will be closed.

However, if people do not adhere to the restriction, Eurovia said it will close both sides of the road, preventing access from either direction, between those two points.

Both sides of Ipswich Road will then be closed between Fenwick Drive and the Ipswich Road roundabout from March 11 to March 15.

From April 1 to April 22 both sides of Harwich Road will be closed from Greenstead Road to its junction with the Harwich Road roundabouts.

The closures are for safety whilst water and gas main diversion works are carried out by Anglian Water and Cadent Gas.

The works will take place between 7am and 8pm.

The contractors added: “We have excavated a large area in the main carriageway in Ipswich Road around the Waitrose area for gas connections and disconnections.

“This will be open for a minimum of two weeks and a second excavation is underway.

“Traffic management is in place during this time for safety reasons.”

The footpath around Waitrose from Ipswich Road North to St Andrew’s Avenue is still closed to pedestrians for the gas works.

The diversion will be across the pedestrian crossing points in Ipswich Road North, Cowdray Avenue and Ipswich Road South.

The contractors added: “There is a ‘no left turn’ for lorries on o Ipswich Road North from Cowdray Avenue.

“They will follow the diversion around the roundabout on to Ipswich Road North.

“The lane off the Ipswich Road roundabouts on to St Andrew’s Avenue has been narrowed to accommodate the second set of excavation works.”

The works, which will continue until the end of the year, are to replace both sets of double mini-roundabouts with single roundabouts in Ipswich Road and Harwich Road.

To find out more about the scheme click here.