New Road Info

Submitted by Anonymous on Tue, 11/09/2004 - 23:57

The government is backtracking on the victories of the 1990s anti-road building campaigns... it wants to build more roads, expand existing roads, and also build new runways and terminals at airports across the UK. At the same time, Labour claims to be serious about tackling climate change.

 

Below is a review of some of the road building which may follow from the Multi- Modal Studies/ Road-Based Studies, prepared by Denise Carlo at Transport 2000.

 

For more information on road building plans, see www.roadalert.org.uk

 

For more information on airports, see www.airportpledge.org.uk

 

 

There are now 35 multi modal/roads based studies. The Highways Agency(HA) is working on the figure of 160 new schemes entering the Targeted Programme of Improvements over the next 3 years (on top of current 60 schemes in TPI - Targeted Programme of Improvements). HA must be assuming that virtually all the road schemes identified by the studies will be approved. If the studies produce an average of 4 road schemes each, we are looking at 140 schemes from the MMS/RBS. Originally, 38 schemes were remitted to the studies by the Trunk Roads Review. However, the studies have resurrected a large number of historic schemes.

 

Transport 2000 published a report on multi modal/roads based studies (Bringing Los Angeles to Middle England - see attached above) in February. At that stage, the position on the completed studies was:

 

  1. Hastings - western and eastern bypasses rejected. A21 dualling between Tonbridge and Pembury to be taken forward.

  2. SE Manchester - Gov approved 4 road schemes, to be taken forward by local authorities through Local Transport Plans.

  3. A3 Hindhead - added to TPI

  4. Cambridge - Huntingdon - Gov approved widening of A14 in Cambs to dual 3, with new off-line dual-3 route south of Godmanchester, Huntingdon and Brampton. Proposals are being worked up for entry into TPI.

 

Since Feb, the key developments have been:

 

  1. Additions to the Targeted Programme of Improvements

    1. Upgrading of A1 Bramham to Barton in N. Yorks to 3-lane motorway - 3 schemes added = 47 kilometres (£263 million) (A1 Bramham to Barton roads based study) - Bramham to Wetherby; Dishforth to Leeming; Leeming to Barton

      This is in addition to the two A1 schemes already in the TPI (Ferrybridge to Hook Moor and Wetherby to Walshford). The upgrading will result in 60 miles of new 3 lane motorway at a cost of £520 million.

    2. 3 Schemes on the A66 (A66 Safety Study - a roads based study) A66 Temple Sowerby A66 Greta Bank to Stephen Bank A66 Carkin Moor to Scotch Corner

      In addition, the Government announced its decision to dual the A66 throughout its length between Scotch Corner and Penrith. Proposals will be worked up for entry into the TPI. The Government has announced full dualling before any lines on the ground have even been identified.

      9 months ago the consultants (managed by the Highways Agency) costed end to end dualling at £66 million, but last week the Gov announced that upgrading would cost £141m.

    3. A419 Blunsdon Bypass near Swindon (Blunsdon Safety roads based study) Blunsdon bypass

    4. A5117/A550 Deeside Park Junctions Improvements (roads based study).

    5. Norwich to Great Yarmouth (roads based study) A47 Blofield to North Burlingham dualling.

      In addition, the Highways Agency will investigate widening/dualling of the A47 Acle Straight across the Halvergate Marshes at the heart of the Broads national park.

  2. Completed Studies - yet to be decided by either the Regional Planning Bodies or where the RPBs have made a recommendation, decided by the Minister

    1. London to South West and South Wales (multi modal study) Consultants recommended dualling of the A303/A30, but with a dog leg via the A358 to avoid the Blackdown Hills AONB. However, the SW Regional Assembly voted in favour of dualling of A303 through the Blackdown Hills and has recommended to the Minister accordingly.

    2. West Midlands Area Recommends £1 billion of roads, including: - widening of M42 to 12 lanes between Jns 3a and 7 - western bypasses of Wolverhampton and Stourbridge to Dual 2

      Without consulting stakeholders, the Regional Planning Body incorporated the recommendations into Draft Regional Planning Guidance for West Midlands. This was subject of a recent public examination. Panel will make its report to the Minister.

    3. West Midlands to North West Conurbation Recommended: widening 50 miles of M6 to 8 lanes between Jns 11 and 20. Ditto WM RPG position above. In NW - don't know what has been decided by regional planning body.

    4. M1 North - South Movements (multi modal study) Schemes recommended in Final Report include: - widening for whole length of M1 within study area between junctions 21 and 30; - consideration of a new river crossing of the River Trent in Nottingham

    5. A1 North of Newcastle Study recommends; - dualling of the A1 Morpeth to Felton and dualling of A1 Adderstone - Belford and West Mains - Haggerston

    6. Hull East-West Corridor MMS Recommended plan includes the on-line scheme to improve Castle Street (£44 m). This is based upon the original Castle Street scheme shelved in late 1990s

    7. A5/A483 Shrewsbury to Chester Recommends: dualling A5 between Ruabon and Shrewsbury (£85m)

    8. Central Scotland Transport Corridor Studies (separate from MMS in England) Final Report recommends M80 improvements - £190 million

  3. Studies on the verge of Completion

    1. A453 - M1 study (multi modal study) Final Strategy recommends dualling of the A453 between M1 and Clifton and widening of A453 through Clifton to Nottingham Ring Road to a 4 lane single carriageway.

    2. South Coast Corridor (multi modal study) Final Strategy report to be published on 9 Sept. Draft Executive Summary recommends: - removal of bottlenecks on A27 between Havant and Polegate such as at Chichester, Arundel, Worthing, and East of Lewes.

      improvements between Bexhill and Hastings. The Hastings Strategy Development Plan (July 2002) (one of 9 produced by SoCoMMS), recommends the Bexhill Link Road which would skirt the Combe Haven SSSI.

    3. London Orbit (M25) Provisional strategy recommends a package of measures: traffic management/soft measures/pub transport imps. Any widening is recommended only in conjunction with some form of demand management - area-wide road user charging is preferred. Recommends investigation of a Lower Thames Crossing.

    4. South and West Yorkshire Motorway Box Final Strategy report is due for pub in Sept. We understand that the consultants could be proposing widening of the M1 and M62 to dual 4 in certain locations, but subject to the introduction of demand management measures at some stage in order to discourage induced traffic. (ie Orbit approach)

    5. London to South Midlands (multi modal study) Draft Strategy road proposals include: - M1 widening to dual 4 lanes from junctions 6a to 13/14 - A505 Dunstable and Luton northern bypass with new Jn 11a on M1 - A421/A428 upgrading to dual 2 lane throughout between M1 Jn13 and Cambridge - A14 upgrading between M1 Jn19 and Cambridge - M11 widening to dual 3 between Jns 8-9

    6. M1 Junction 19 (roads based study) Proposes re-building J19 to make it 4 level, with a new flyover between M6 & A14 at cost of £70m plus.

    7. London to Ipswich Draft strategy recommends further widening of A12.

    8. M40/A46 Longbridge Roundabout A46 tunnel, plus Warwick - Wellesbourne and Warwick to M40 imps

  4. Studies with some way to go

    • Tyneside - M60 Jns 12 -18

    • West to East Midlands

    • London to Reading

    • A38 Derby junctions

    • Norwich to Peterborough

    • A52 Nottingham to Bingham

    • A34 N. from Southampton - yet to start

    • A36/A46/A350 corridors

  5. New Studies Added

    1. i) A556 between M6 and M56

    2. ii) Tees Valley Study (A66 Darlington)

Community
Hastings