A52 into Derby could reopen earlier than expected, says council

A major route into Derby is expected to reopen earlier than expected, the city council has said.

The A52 inbound has been shut between the Wyvern retail park and Pentagon Island since Saturday following torrential downpours and flooding.

Derby City Council previously said the A52 would be closed for "several days".

But Nigel Brien, head of traffic and transportation, said: "We are working to get that road open at some point today."

He added when it did reopen it was likely to be down to one lane due to damage to the central reservation.

Mr Brien told BBC Radio Derby the council's biggest challenge was removing water from Eastgate underpass.

He said by midday on Sunday, the underpass had gathered the equivalent of three Olympic-sized swimming pools of water.

Heavy rain on Friday led to flash flooding across the city centre over the weekend, including Pentagon Island.

The council said although water levels were falling, it was struggling to reopen some of its major roads.

It has urged people to work from home if they can to relieve the amount of traffic coming into the city.

It said while the A52 remained closed, Pentagon Island had now reopened.

The authority said a number of underpasses in Derwent Street and Phoenix Street were also closed.

The city council added: "A number of roads are likely to remain closed for some time, as there is still a significant amount of flooding on a number of roads and underpasses.

"We're aiming to reopen these as soon as possible. We need to remove large amounts of debris and check for damage to bridges and structures before roads can be reopened.

"We are asking that if you can, you make every effort to work from home during the start of the week, to relieve the amount of traffic trying to come into the city.

"This is because we are struggling to reopen some of our major roads, due to the remaining flood water.

"As a result we are anticipating really high levels of disruption, and know the frustration that this will cause people, so need to do everything possible to minimise the amount of vehicles on the road."

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