Warwickshire County Council has announced the opening of the improvement works to help ease traffic congestion around Stanks Island and Birmingham Road during peak periods.
The scheme was designed to improve traffic circulation during peak periods, address traffic queues on the A46 slip roads and prepare for future predicted traffic increases. Air quality will be improved with the reduction in stationery traffic while allocation for greener travel has been made with pedestrian and cycling facilities being provided at various points throughout the works.
Traffic control signals that can detect vehicles and adjust their settings to respond to fluctuations in traffic have been installed to minimise queuing and help improve traffic flow. Shared pedestrian and cycling facilities have been provided to create better links between the town centre, residential and business areas, towards Budbrooke, Hatton and the rail station.
Additional work around landscaping is being finished in the coming weeks but this will not affect the flow of traffic.
The scheme was funded by Warwickshire County Council and the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP) through the Government’s Local Growth Deal funding and developer funding. Warwickshire County Council worked with nmcn plc to carry out the works.
The four main aspects of work were:
Stanks Island:
- Roundabout signalised
- Approach widened from A4177 and A425
- Pedestrian and cycling facilities
Haywood Road junction:
- Signalised junction to provide left and right turning points
- Signalised access to properties on Birmingham Road
- Pedestrian and cycling facilities and crossing points
Wedgnock Lane junction:
- Convert to signalised T junction
- Pedestrian and cycling facilities
Birmingham Road:
- Signals linked to maximise capacity and minimise delay
- Pedestrian and cycling facilities throughout to tie in with existing routes including linking to the station.
Councillor Jeff Clarke, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for Transport and Planning, said: “We knew that we needed to address a number of transport pressures on Stanks Island and the Birmingham Road corridor in Warwick, with queuing on the A46 slip roads during the morning rush hour being a particular concern.
“Our works to improve the island and corridor are comprehensive and will improve drivers’ journeys to and from Warwick.
“The works also make a very significant contribution to the county council’s commitment to tackling the effects of climate change. Not only will air quality improve by reducing congestion, we have worked to ensure that the opportunity for active travel is possible along the corridor and we expect it to greatly encourage walking or cycling to the town centre from the surrounding areas.
“This will boost footfall to the town and give the town centre economy a boost. Small businesses have been badly affected by the Coronavirus pandemic and the improved options for travelling to Warwick will be of immense benefit to local businesses once restrictions are relieved.”
Nick Abell, chair of the Coventry and Warwickshire Local Enterprise Partnership (CWLEP), said: “The Local Growth Fund is designed to deliver jobs, business growth and infrastructure and the completion of this work will improve the travel times at an important access point to Warwick.
“This work will complement the housing and employment growth planned for the Warwick district to ease congestion as well as address safety concerns.
“Stanks Island is a project that is part of CWLEP’s A46 Corridor transport priorities as we aim to improve the traffic flow at this gateway to Warwick.”
Vip Gandhi, nmcn's Managing Director for Highways, said: "These works have made this section of road safer and less congested - meaning quicker and more pleasant journeys for everyone. Thank you to the travelling public for their patience whilst these works were completed and to our delivery team who completed the work during a pandemic and without incident."
The funding for the project from the CWLEP is part of the overall £131 million Local Growth Fund package for Coventry and Warwickshire.
Go to www.warwickshire.gov.uk/stanksisland to see details of the works.
Update on the Stanks Island and Birmingham Road Improvement Scheme - Video