Welcome to Warwickshire County Council

2010 News
22 September 2010 Following the opening of the Rugby Western Relief Road by Cllr Jose Compton on the 10 September, a marked reduction in traffic volumes in the town has been noticed, as road users take advantage of this alternative route. Traffic surveys are currently being carried out to establish the measurable benefits that the relief road has had on the town in helping to relieve congestion since full opening.
10 September 2010 The Chair of Warwickshire County Council, Cllr Jose Compton cut the ceremonial ribbon to mark the official opening of the Rugby Western Relief Road (A4071). The road opened to the public at 4pm.
31 August 2010 Relief Road fully open from Friday 10 September The entire length of the new Rugby Western Relief Road (A4071) will open for motorists to use for the first time on Friday 10 September. The road will be open to the public from 4pm. The north section is now complete and is being opened to traffic ahead of the revised October target date. The southern section has been operational since June. Councillor Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Economy, said: “I am delighted to announce that the long-awaited Rugby Western Relief Road will be open to the public from next Friday. Everyone will now be able to see the fruition of what we have worked so hard to achieve. “Although the scheme has taken longer than anticipated to construct, I would like to thank the people of Rugby for their patience while the construction work progressed, and I am sure the town will notice the considerable benefits immediately.” Members of the public have been able to track the progress of the construction work on a dedicated website www.warwickshire.gov.uk/rwrr. The Rugby Western Relief Road (RWRR) is 3.75 miles (6 kilometres) miles long and has been built to relieve traffic congestion in and around Rugby. On-going residential and industrial development in the town, particularly to the west and north of the town centre, meant more traffic coming into and out of the town. The new road will cut journey times and help to mitigate environmental damage by reducing noise and air pollution within the town centre. It will also create better conditions for pedestrians, cyclists and other highway users and help to reduce the number of accidents. The multi-million pound scheme was constructed by Carillion and funded by the Department for Transport, Warwickshire County Council and developers.
17 June 2010 RWRR Fun Run and Cycle Ride On Sunday 13 June hundreds of people took part in a charity Fun Run and Cycle Ride along the southern section of the Rugby Western Relief Road before it opens to traffic later this month. The event was hosted by Rugby Rotary Club and RP Fighting Blindness. Approximately 300 left the start line at 10am, with several hundred others making the trip during the day. Some people took part in fancy dress, including several nurses, a few superheroes, fairies, and many more. The event was also joined by Rugby's recently elected MP Mark Pawsey who cycled the route. The weather was beautiful and it was a great family day out. Approximately £2,000 was raised for Help For Heroes, Rugby Rotary Club, and the medical research charity RP Fighting Blindness.		Photo taken by Rob Brock for Rugby Rotary Club
25 May 2010 Opening of Southern Section The Southern Section of the A4071 Rugby Western Relief Road opens to the public for the first time on Saturday 19 June. This length of road is between the A4071 Coventry Road at Potfords Dam, and the A428 Lawford Road. It will include a junction with Bilton Lane and a link road connecting it with the Cawston Grange Housing Estate. By opening this stretch of road it is anticipated that traffic congestion in Cawston and Bilton will be significantly reduced. The amount of traffic using Lawford Heath Road will also be reduced. Councillor Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Economy, said: “I am delighted that a substantial length of the Relief Road will shortly be opened to the public. After more than two years of inconvenience, the people of Rugby will soon enjoy the first benefits of the scheme. “The scheme has taken longer than anticipated to construct owing to many unforeseen circumstances, and I would like to thank the people of Rugby for their patience while the construction work progressed. “I look forward to seeing the remaining length of the scheme being opened later this year when a larger area of Rugby will be able to enjoy its benefits.” The target date for opening the remaining section is the first week of October, but every effort is being made to bring this date forward.
17 May 2010 Charity Fun Run and Cycle Ride On Sunday 13 June a special charity event for walkers, runners, cyclists and wheelchair users is planned using the southern section of the new Rugby Western Relief Road, before it is opened to traffic later in June. The charity Fun Run and Cycle Ride will be hosted by Rugby Rotary Club and RP Fighting Blindness. A 4km stretch of the new road will be accessible to cyclists, walkers, runners, and wheelchair users. So come along and be amongst the first to walk, cycle, or run the southern section of the new Rugby Western Relief Road. For more information about the event and to register visit www.rugbyfunrun.org.uk
18 March 2010 Closure of section of Parkfield Road Footway The footpath alongside of Parkfield Road between the industrial estate occupied by Metso Minerals, Banner Rail and Network Rail and the footpath RB4, which is adjacent to the southern boundary of the Rugby to Coventry railway line, will be closed during the week before Easter and remain closed over the summer. This closure has always been required to enable the existing carriageway of Parkfield Road to be lowered to achieve a satisfactory headroom under the one of the existing railway bridges, and also for it to be strengthened and improved to the required standard for a road of this nature. Although the formal closure of this length of footpath has been in place for well over a year, the contractor has worked hard to keep it open for as long as possible as it has been popular with walkers and those wishing to view the progress of the road construction. Alternative routes are available along RB4 and RB13e. The footpath will be reopened as soon as possible but until then, we do apologise for any inconvenience the closure may cause.
1 March 2010 Roadworks at Avon Mill Roundabout finished Rugby residents are being reassured that works which gridlocked the town last month are now completed and roads should be getting back to normal. Traffic lights will be in Newbold Road for a brief period over the next couple of weeks, but the congestion which hit Rugby last month should not be repeated. Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: “A major link on the Rugby Western Relief Road had to be completed last month and as a result the traffic situation was dreadful. “The traffic congestion which was on February 8 and 9 resulted from roadworks at Avon Mill Roundabout and was expected, but not to the degree of severity that was actually experienced. “I would like to apologise on behalf of the county council to the large number of people who were frustrated and inconvenienced by these works. Understandably, we received a great number of complaints from local people. “Traffic lights will be in place on Newbold Road, and soon on Lawford Road near Paynes Lane, which will require three way lights, but hopefully we have seen the last of any major delays as a result of the Rugby Western Relief Road development.” The work was necessary for the reshaping of the existing roundabout which is an integral part of the new relief road. Most of the work was to have been done under three-way traffic lights which were brought into service on Monday, 8 February, and were to have been operating 24 hours per day. In light of the severity of the delays, Warwickshire County Council instructed that work on the road should only to be carried out between 9.30am and 4.30pm, so that at peak hours, the temporary traffic lights were switched off to ease congestion. In addition to this the county agreed with the contractors to implement a different regime of traffic management to significantly reduce the amount of disruption. These measures however could have resulted in the work taking longer to complete than originally planned. It had been planned for the roadworks to be complete before February 22, which was the end of the schools half term holiday, but in view of this new regime, it was considered likely that the target would not be achieved. However by increasing the resources and working over the weekends, the temporary traffic lights were removed by the target date. The county council also worked with other companies currently carrying out work in the area to help minimise disruption throughout Rugby. Night time working was also considered, but as concrete and tarmac surfacing cannot be placed at low temperatures, it was felt that this was not be a viable option at this time of year. This was the last operation to do with the construction of the relief road that will require such major traffic management. Towards the end of the year, when it is expected that the relief road is completed and open to traffic, it is hoped that the people of Rugby will find their journeys in and around Rugby much more safe and pleasant, and less time consuming.
9 February 2010 Council apologise for traffic congestion The traffic congestion resulting from roadworks at Avon Mill Roundabout which is at the bottom of Newbold Road and Leicester Road, has been more severe than expected. This work is necessary for the reshaping of the existing roundabout and is an integral part of the Western Relief Road. Most of the work has to be done under three-way traffic lights which were brought into service on Monday 8 February, and have been operating 24 hours per day. In light of the severity of the delays, Warwickshire County Council has instructed that work on the road is only to be carried out in off peak hours, between 9.30am and 4.30pm to reduce traffic congestion. They are also working with other companies currently carrying out work in the area to help minimise disruption. It had been hoped that the roadworks in this area would have been completed and the temporary traffic signals removed before February 22, which is the end of the schools half term holiday. However, in view of the reduced hours per day, this target may not be achieved. Portfolio Holder for Environment, Councillor Alan Cockburn said: “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to residents last night. We hope that by ensuring road works on the Rugby Western Relief Road are only carried out in off peak times between 9.30am and 4.30pm, traffic disruption will be kept to a minimum. We will also where possible be carrying out work during the night to ensure that the project is kept on track.”
26 January 2010 Surfacing work on Newbold Road From Monday 1 February, the last of the surfacing work on Newbold Road will be carried out. The sections to be done comprise the final wearing course on Newbold Road Roundabout next to Avon Valley School, and the total construction of a short section of road near Avon Mill Roundabout. The work by Avon Mill will require three way temporary lights for about three weeks and will unfortunately cause considerable traffic disruption. In the past traffic disruption has been made worse in this area by a number of road users approaching the roundabout on the Leicester Road dual carriageway from the northeast, and although wanting to ultimately turn left towards the town centre, have used the right hand lane and gone right round the roundabout. This deprives other vehicles of the opportunities to safely enter the roundabout. It is therefore likely that the dual carriageway approach will be reduced to a single lane to prevent this from happening. On Thursday and Friday, 4 and 5 February, Newbold Road Roundabout will have its final surface laid. Weather permitting, this should be done in two days, but for this period, the short length of road that links the roundabout with Yates Avenue and Forsted Road, will be totally closed. Also in this area and starting very shortly, Balfour Beatty will be carrying out gas pipe replacement work on behalf of Transco. This will take about 40 days to complete and will be on both sides of Newbold Road between Parkfield Road and Avon Valley School. This has nothing to do with the construction of the Relief Road.
2009 News