Commuters faced further rush hour holds-ups this morning after a busy road remained closed following an accident at a flagship regeneration project.
A large machine fell onto a building at the £60 million Goods Yard development in Stoke-on-Trent on Monday lunchtime. It forced the closure of Glebe Street and the diversion of traffic around one of the busiest stretches of highway in the city.
Inspectors from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are investigating and the road will stay closed “until further notice” it was announced last night.
The road, which is near to Stoke Station as well as the A500 dual carriageway, is closed between the junctions for Station Road and the Civic Centre as engineers continue to survey the scene.
A Stoke-on-Trent City Council Spokesperson said: “In response to health and safety advice, Glebe Street will remain closed until further notice. Diversions will remain in place for vehicles and buses. We thank people for their co-operation and apologise for the on-going disruption to travel.”
The machine – a tracked piling rig – fell into the roof of a former signal box, which is lined up to become a hospitality venue at the Swift House site development.
More than 170 apartments are being built, along with a café bar and retail and business premises. The project is being overseen by developer Capital&Centric.
A spokesperson for Capital&Centric said: “There was an incident on site involving the piling rig.
“No-one was hurt, but it’s caused some limited damage to the former signal box. We’re working closely with the construction contractors, responsible for managing the site, who will rectify the issue and investigate the circumstances.
“The area was secured immediately, and the road has been closed as a precaution whilst surveys are done.”
