DELAYED roadworks at the busy Moonrakers junction will continue into next month at least.

The £2.8m transformation of the former mini roundabouts started in July last year, with the project scheduled to be finished in the spring. 

But it was announced this week that the westbound lane of Beechcroft Road will be shut on Monday to allow drainage works, the installation of signal ducting and final surfacing of the new junction to be completed.

Not for the first time, the news was greeted with frustration by Adver readers commenting on our Facebook page. Here's what they told us...

LOWRIE CHELLEM: "I live on this junction. We should have a reduction in our council tax whilst all this is going on. None of us wanted this. We all said it was fine how it was. We can't open our windows or put washing out due to all the dust and fumes. Companies are refusing to deliver to us and tradespeople cancelling jobs because they can't afford to waste time in the traffic."

PAUL DAVIES: "Mead Way was supposed to take 26 weeks – over 15 months later still not finished – and by the look of things the July opening will be delayed. This is causing more pollution with cars at a standstill."

EMMA WILLIAMS: "Setting up a detour through Meadowcroft Road, which is residential, and articulated lorries are going to be using it. There are parked cars on Meadowcroft Road and difficult enough to drive down now. It is going to be awful."

GED GIBSON: "It's 2085, climate change has rendered the world a hostile environment, the coronavirus has evolved to give people bubos immediately upon contracting the virus, there has been exploratory settlement building on Mars and also at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, and the Moonrakers roadworks are still ongoing with no end in sight."

KEANA MARSH: "They can build an entire hospital in Japan in 10 days, yet this lot can't change a junction in 10 months. It was fine how it was, just because a few people were scared to use a roundabout without lights doesn't mean the whole thing needed 'fixing'."

NICOLAS GILLINGHAM: "I wish the drivers would consider the residents in the area. It's bad enough having endured the jackhammers and noise from the works. Now we are subjected to a cacophony of blaring horns, doubtless from people frustrated at an idiot blocking the junction."

CHARLOTTE WAKEFIELD: "Frustrated at the amount of time I've wasted this year sat in traffic trying to get home."

SIMON BATCHELOR: "They've already played the 'cable/pipes in wrong place' card haven't they? Wonder what's next in the excuse bingo? Presumably a wet May and the sky being blue in June?"

JAMES BOOTH: "When will this council ever do anything on time or right?"

LIAM DRAPER: "And the nice scenic route through Queensfield to avoid it also has roadworks, feels like they’re trying to frustrate drivers at this point."

JUSTIN CARRINGTON: "Whatever timescales they put on roadworks, add at least another year. The White Hart roadworks are never ending too, although that is quite a bit of work."

JEREMY WALDRON: "Now they are starting night work. If they had of done weekend work, it would have been finished ages ago. I as a taxpayer want my money back!

ALEX ROBINSON: "The same people moaning about these roadworks are the same who moan about new developments and how our roads aren't built to cope with all the new traffic."

PORTIA JENKINS: "There was nothing wrong with the roundabouts before – traffic was normal."

ANDREW BIRCH: "Over here in Spain we are having new roads built with flyovers just outside our village. Instead of closing roads they just make another road adjacent to the old roads whilst they are doing it. No problems at all."

SAM O'DONOVAN:"At least they haven't been waiting as long as us in Westlea. Never on time and lockdowns haven't helped."

ANDY HARRISON: "Ah 'delays due to lockdown'. Yet other councils and highway departments are able to deliver improvements ahead of schedule by taking advantage of less traffic on the roads."