MOTORISTS have experienced "gridlock" due to lane closures on the A55 this morning.

A contraflow system has been in operation since late yesterday evening - Sunday, September 8 - due to essential repair work to the A55 Kneeshaw Lupton Underbridge Eastbound carriageway.

The repairs, which require single lane closures between Junction 23 at Llandullas and the Rainbow Bridge on both sides, will be underway 24 hours a day for up to five weeks.

A motorist speaking to The Journal said: "I hit the traffic before Abergele roundabout heading West, it was very slow moving once I got to the single lane and it took me more than an hour to pass through.

"It was very slow and frustrating travelling west, but the other side is even worse."

The closures on the A55 has also caused congestion for drivers seeking alternative routes to the dual carriageway, using Abergele as a rat runt to avoid the traffic

Another motorist said:"I was bypassing the A55, but due to people trying to find another route through Abergele the town was gridlocked at around 9am - it took me about 50 minutes to get through."