Local residents, businesses and even sports groups say they just want the work to be fully finished, so their street can open again.
Finn Macdiarmid reports.
Finn Macdiarmid reports.
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TVTranscript
00:00If you had to describe the works in just one word, what word would you think?
00:04Oh, massive headache. That's two words, but headache.
00:08First it was to repair the gas pipes and then it became a matter of replacing them.
00:12Since Friday the 18th of April, Loose Road in Maidstone has been either partially or fully shut in both directions.
00:19The main road provides a strong link between Maidstone and South West Kent
00:23and with it closed, traffic has been diverted elsewhere.
00:26But despite what you might think, locals are saying that what they've noticed most about it is the quiet.
00:32I've lived in this house off and on for 40 years. I can tell the time by the traffic.
00:38So it feels like the lockdown feels like Covid. It's very, very peaceful apart from the digging.
00:45What I've learned or what I feel like we've learned is this work has been put off for years and years and years
00:52for fear of closing the road and actually closing the road hasn't been that bad.
00:59Sarah continued to say that the public outcry may have been unwarranted
01:03and although occasional noise has disturbed her sleep, she'd rather see the roads fixed
01:08than have it become a bigger issue down the line.
01:10For local businesses, however, the quiet presents a different problem.
01:14Well, there's no traffic so nobody can get here very easily so people have got a point.
01:22We've had quite a few cancellations because of people unsure about getting here
01:26and the timing and where they're going to park and stuff.
01:28But your locals have still managed to get through, especially people who are walkable.
01:32You know, you can't avoid it so we just have to go with it and keep smiling.
01:37But that can be difficult, with local leisure and sports clubs affected by the wide area of roadworks.
01:43With the number of local clubs that we play against and having our team members,
01:49rearranging a match is quite difficult.
01:52A, whether we're going to play it here or at an away team, getting there,
01:57ensuring people that don't have cars are picked up.
02:00They may not then be available on the next match day.
02:03So yes, it does have an impact.
02:06According to SGN's latest update,
02:09For everyone's safety, while we carry out this work,
02:11Loose Road has had to remain closed until Sunday the 1st of June.
02:15During this time, we also aim to replace a section of old metal gas mains along Cripple Street
02:20and into the junction with Bowton Lane.
02:22Now, whether the roadworks will stop at the 1st of June, as predicted by SGN,
02:26or if, according to other sources, they continue further than that,
02:29people here just aren't sure.
02:31They're stuck in a little bit of a limbo.
02:33But they will say that it doesn't matter how long it takes,
02:36just as long as the work gets done.
02:38Finn McDermid for KMTV in Loose.
02:40Finn McDermid for KMTV in Loose.