A MAJOR road has been closed for four weeks with the resultant diversion causing “absolute carnage”.
The A390 between Truro and St Austell in Cornwall is closed through Tresillian from 7pm to 4am each night due to resurfacing work.
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It comes as another route in the county used by 38,000 drivers every day is set to close for the year.
The A390 closures began on September 8 and were initially planned to last three weeks.
However, signage has now been updated to inform motorists the disruption will last a full month.
Drivers are being directed through a rural route through Probus and St Erme.
One motorist said a journey that should have taken 45 minutes instead took two hours in the days after the changes were implemented.
She told CornwallLive: “The road closure is diverting everyone from each end down one long single track road with hardly any passing places. We were stuck on that road for over an hour.
“There were over 60 cars trying to get past each other, with nowhere to go.
“It’s absolute carnage and this is suppose to happen till the end of September.”
She added that around 20 cars were forced to reverse down to a junction in the dark to allow others through.
Another young woman even stood at the junction to warn motorists to stop trying to get by, she said.
The motorist said the works and diversion “could have been handled better by the authorities”.
It comes hundreds of streets are closed this weekend as drivers are told to “ditch their cars”.
The restrictions have popped up on Saturday and will also be in place across Sunday as part of a push to encourage cycling, walking and public transport.
Neighbourhoods across London are set to celebrate World Car Free Day in the coming days.
The global event involves shutting down roads where residents have applied to do so in order to provide a glimpse into a greener future with no motor vehicles.
The majority of shutdowns will take place on Sunday but a number were enforced on Saturday instead.
It is being run by London Play, with support from TfL and the mayor’s office.
Around 200 routes across the capital will be closed as part of the celebrations.
Meanwhile, drivers will face significant disruption along the A38 in Cornwall, particularly at the Saltash Tunnel, for a year.
National Highways is undertaking the £25 million refurbishment of the road over the next few months.
This will see upgrades to the tunnel itself, as well as new LED lights, electronic signs and cooling fans.
The road is the only crossing in Europe that operates a tidal flow system, where the direction of the lanes changes based on demand.
Highway bosses insist that the revamp is “essential” to maintain the safe flow of traffic, with the complex technology that manages it set to be updated.
Some preparatory work has already taken place, with old cables stripped out earlier this year.
This has also seen the speed limit lowered from 70mph to 50mph on a large section of the road, while new cameras have been put in to enforce the 30mph on another stretch.
The next stage of the project will see new fixtures installed, including automatic barriers to close the road off in the event of an emergency.
Closures will begin this November and are expected to last until the Autumn of 2025.
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