Find out more about the many benefits to Rugby from the proposed A426/A4071 – Avon Mill/Hunters Lane Improvement Scheme.
Reduced congestion, improved bus reliability, greater scope for active travel, better road safety and supporting local housing developments are among the key objectives as Warwickshire County Council’s Cabinet approved progress on an outline business case to deliver an essential improvement scheme in the town of Rugby.
At its meeting on Friday 27 January 2023, Cabinet gave approval for officers to produce an outline business case for the delivery of an improvement scheme on the A426/A4071 – Avon Mill/Hunters Lane in the town.
This exciting improvement scheme is identified in both the Council’s Local Transport Plan and the Rugby Borough Council Infrastructure Delivery Plan.
It is considered critical to supporting major developments at Gateway Rugby on the A426 Leicester Road corridor and at the former Rugby Radio Station site at Houlton, to the east of Hillmorton.
It is proposed that the scheme would take the following form:
- Enlargement of the existing Avon Mill Roundabout and widening of the approaches and exits;
- Provision of a new segregated foot/cycleway and bridge located to the north of the existing road bridge with connections onto enhanced crossing facilities on A426 Leicester Road to provide safe access to Avon Valley School;
- A new roundabout at A426 Newbold Road/Hunters Lane to replace the existing priority junction;
- Construction of a short length of dual carriageway to connect the two roundabouts including a new bridge over the River Avon located to the south of the existing road bridge; and
- A new left-in/left-out access junction to provide access to the Starbucks ‘Drive-Thru’ which is currently under construction on the former Avon Mill Inn site and adjacent residential properties served off the proposed southbound carriageway.
The core objectives of this improvement scheme are to:
- Promote Active Travel opportunities by upgrading facilities for pedestrians and cyclists thereby supporting local Climate Emergencies and Net-Zero targets;
- Improve bus journey times and reliability in Rugby;
- Support housing delivery, economic growth and rebalancing;
- Improve network resilience; and
- Improve overall road safety in the area.
Speaking about Cabinet’s decision, Cllr Wallace Redford, Warwickshire County Council’s Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning said: “As we as a Council, strive to ensure that our residents are supported by excellent transport infrastructure, we remain ever mindful that such infrastructure must have vision beyond simply car travel.
“As you can see from our plans for the A426/A4071 – Avon Mill/Hunters Lane improvement scheme, at its heart is a commitment to making active travel more possible and desirable, whilst also improving the access and reliability of the town’s bus services in a vibrant and expanding part of Rugby. I look forward to seeing this scheme become a reality over the coming years.”
Based on key project milestones for this improvement scheme, it is hoped that works would be complete in 2026.
A copy of the Cabinet report can be found here: https://democracy.warwickshire.gov.uk/documents/s28893/A426A4071%20Avon%20MillHunters%20Lane%20Improvements.pdf
Warwickshire’s Local Transport Plan is available here: https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/directory-record/2149/local-transport-plan-2011-2026
The Council is currently engaging with residents and visitors to Rugby around plans for Rugby Parkway Train Station. Find out more and have your say here: https://ask.warwickshire.gov.uk/insights-service/rugby-parkway/