Barbers, boozers and toy shops have hit out at plans for roadworks which will cause serious disruption in a busy part of Norwich for eight weeks.
Boundary Road work will take place at its junction with Mile Cross and Hellesdon, after shopkeepers had initially protested against plans to close it last year prompting Norfolk County Council to postpone the works.
But now works to replace traffic lights and resurface the road - costing a total of £800,000 - will go ahead on July 10 and see the A140 Aylsham Road, Cromer Road and Reepham Road closed at the Boundary junction.
Businesses on the street say the works will decimate trade.
At the Boundary pub staff say they worry work will hit attendance numbers for their poker and pool nights.
Assistant manager, Chris Michaels said: "We're worried about it when they did the work near B&Q it was chaos, not for the impact on trade but just general mayhem, you could hear the horns honking from here.
"Everything is going up at the moment, costs are rising and this is yet another kick in the teeth for us.
"I'm not sure what the impact will be like, but I worry for our poker and pool nights as that's what people come from far and wide for."
READ MORE: Relief for bosses as major junction work postponed
Steve and Liz Kerrison, owners of Kerrison's Toys, said things were "tough enough" for shops in the parade, which resembled a ghost town on Wednesday, with many already closed.
Mr Kerrison said: "It's not ideal, we're still accessible as people can get here on Aylsham Road, so hopefully we can battle through.
"We're actually going to do special offers and events in an attempt to mitigate the impact and reward those who battle in to see us.
"If it needs to be done it needs to be done, but it's difficult to understand why it's worth it.
"They say they'll do it in several weeks, but will it actually be several weeks or will it go on for 12 like the B&Q work? I just hope we see people working and they work hard."
The shop has even printed out a leaflet telling customers how they can access the store during the works.
At Ingenious Scissors, concerns were echoed by barbers Mem King and Martin Ozbek, who said they were unaware of the works.
Mr King said: "We have heard nothing, it's ridiculous.
"Most of our customers are walk-ins so no one going past will be able to see us.
"We don't know what it will do, we just have to hope for the best."
Norfolk County Council said the work is part of a countywide traffic signal replacement programme which involves updating traffic lights to ensure they continue to meet current standards and work reliably and efficiently.
In addition, road surface maintenance on Boundary Road and Mile Cross Lane will be coordinated with the traffic light works to reduce future disruption at this busy junction.
To minimise the duration of the works and minimise the impact on ring road traffic, it will be necessary to have road closures on Reepham Road, Cromer Road and Aylsham Road at the Boundary junction, diversion routes will be signed accordingly.
The ring road will remain open with a 20mph speed limit in place through the works area. These measures are essential to safely carry out the necessary work.
Access to properties and businesses within the works area will be maintained at all times. Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout.
The traffic lights work will cost £300,000 and the road resurfacing will cost £500,000.
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