Frustration and puzzlement greeted the decision by Westmorland and Furness Council to carry out resurfacing work on the bridge at J39 of the M6 this week.
With the junction closed and work still going on to upgrade electricity cables along the nearby B6261 road linking the Shap and Orton areas, motorists needing to get from one to the other faced a diversion down to Kendal on the A6 and back of more than 30 miles.
The work on the 6km-long B6261 has been going on since June 10 — hitting businesses in Orton in particular — but is due to end soon if all goes to plan.
The bridge resurfacing was scheduled to take five days.
Taxi driver Shaun Martin, who is based in Shap, said: “The bridge has needed resurfacing for at least two years, but why they decided to do that stretch now when the B6261 is closed is a mystery.
“They should have thought about it a bit and waited until the Orton road is open — what they’ve done is just ridiculous and bad organisation. A trip which normally costs £20 now costs £90.
“A lot of locals are complaining about it in Shap and around Orton.”
He added: “There’s been no consultation about it or anything and the signage hasn’t been good.”
Westmorland and Furness Council was approached by the Herald for comment on Tuesday but has not yet responded.
