A PROGRAMME of repair and resurfacing work costing £364,000 is under way to improve roads around Ely and Newmarket. Contractors moved in on Tuesday to start three days of work to repair defective areas of carriageway on Downham Road, Ely (B1411) before th

A PROGRAMME of repair and resurfacing work costing £364,000 is under way to improve roads around Ely and Newmarket.

Contractors moved in on Tuesday to start three days of work to repair defective areas of carriageway on Downham Road, Ely (B1411) before the road is surface dressed later in the summer.

The work is costing around £40,000.

Work will then move to the B1063 Newmarket Road which runs through Cheveley to Ashley. Over three weeks commencing on May 9, sunken manhole covers and frames will be re-levelled and repaired and the carriageway repaired before surface dressing at a cost of £65,000.

The work will commence near the junction of Centre Drive, Newmarket and will continue to Ashley.

Repairs and resurfacing will be carried out on the C142 East Fen Road, Soham, from the junction with Temple Road/Commongate Drove for around 400 metres towards Soham. The Road will be closed for approximately two weeks with a signposted diversion in operation. This work starts on May 2 and is costing around £41,000.

A week of repair work on the C134 Branch Bank at Littleport, will commence on April 24.

The road will be closed and a diversion set up during the £53,000 project.

Black Bank, Little Downham, is also programmed to be repaired and surface dressed.

This scheme is costing £165,000 and is due to commence in late April. A road closure will be in operation during the works and this will be signed.

County council divisional maintenance engineer David Groom said: "This programme of work is designed to improve road safety and prolong the life of the roads in the Ely and Newmarket area.

"Inevitably the work will cause some disruption for drivers and we would urge motorists to find an alternative route or allow extra time for their journeys.