HAMPSHIRE County Council has defended unpopular roadworks in a busy Winchester road this week.
Resurfacing started in St George's Street on Tuesday night (May 7) and is set to finish tomorrow (May 10).
It is part of Operation Resilience, a county wide programme to protect roads against extreme weather and increasing traffic.
As reported in last week’s Chronicle, several businesses criticised the works claiming they were unnecessary and the money would be better spent updating the St George's Street pedestrian area by the Casson Block.
But a county council spokesman said: “This scheme is part of the County Council's programme of planned structural highways maintenance to increase the resilience of our roads against damage caused by extremes in weather and increasing volumes of traffic.
“The carriageway is deteriorating significantly and is cracking in places, requiring repairs up to depths of 10 centimetres. The work has been arranged to take place overnight to avoid disrupting normal, day to day business and minimise any inconvenience in this busy location."
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