Uttoxeter GSJs

The study of British and Irish roads - their construction, numbering, history, mapping, past and future official roads proposals and general roads musings.

There is a separate forum for Street Furniture (traffic lights, street lights, road signs etc).

Registered users get access to other forums including discussions about other forms of transport, driving, fantasy roads and wishlists, and roads quizzes.

Moderator: Site Management Team

JF2309
Member
Posts: 242
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2015 12:43

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by JF2309 »

Bryn666 wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2017 08:12 This will be a hugely welcome improvement; although Blythe Bridge is scandalous on a major trunk road - classic late 80s thinking of slapping a tiny roundabout in the middle of a fast dual carriageway a la Catthorpe. That needs to be a trumpet really.
I’ve always fancied a simple fork from the A522 onto the A50 Westbound. With a little bit if realignedment of the A50 it should be possible without having to knock down *Huge Surprise Incoming* houses that were built right on the road boundary at about same time the roundabout was built. Doing Blythe Bridge would then leave the roundabout at Sudbury which you would imagine would be easily achieveable with a simple dumbbell and Sideway Roundabout with the A500 which is not achieveable without demolishing a very profitable council incinerator as the only 2 at grade junctions on that stretch. Its going to be a case of How do you eat a whole Elephant? A little bit at a time.
User avatar
danfw194
Member
Posts: 925
Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 23:26
Location: Leicester

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by danfw194 »

JF2309 wrote: Mon Oct 08, 2018 23:05
Bryn666 wrote: Wed Jul 12, 2017 08:12 This will be a hugely welcome improvement; although Blythe Bridge is scandalous on a major trunk road - classic late 80s thinking of slapping a tiny roundabout in the middle of a fast dual carriageway a la Catthorpe. That needs to be a trumpet really.
I’ve always fancied a simple fork from the A522 onto the A50 Westbound. With a little bit if realignedment of the A50 it should be possible without having to knock down *Huge Surprise Incoming* houses that were built right on the road boundary at about same time the roundabout was built. Doing Blythe Bridge would then leave the roundabout at Sudbury which you would imagine would be easily achieveable with a simple dumbbell and Sideway Roundabout with the A500 which is not achieveable without demolishing a very profitable council incinerator as the only 2 at grade junctions on that stretch. Its going to be a case of How do you eat a whole Elephant? A little bit at a time.
Agree with both of you that the Blythe Bridge roundabout is hugely frustrating and needs to be resolved, and whilst they're doing it resolve the poor A50 alignment. Although there is a railway track and farm that could prove problematic.
And I totally agree that Sudbury should be a dumbbell.
User avatar
wrinkly
Member
Posts: 8986
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:17
Location: Leeds

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by wrinkly »

I think Blythe Bridge would need a new bridge over the railway for the mainline, with the existing one becoming a slip road, but that's not a particularly big problem.
JF2309
Member
Posts: 242
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2015 12:43

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by JF2309 »

The Railway is academic and so might the farm, I’m going to try and get over that way in the next couple of days to see if thats a local authority owned farm, Which believe it or not is more common than not around here, Staffs CC own about 100 farms.
rw93
Member
Posts: 14
Joined: Tue Oct 09, 2018 08:16
Location: Stoke on Trent

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by rw93 »

The problem you have around that area is that the fields are a part of the proposed "Blythe Vale Business Park" which has planning consent for 120,000sqm of B1 land use.

http://www.makeitstokestaffs.co.uk/port ... ness-park/

They've more recently been going in for planning to build housing on a portion of the land.

There really does need to be some improvements made to this junction though, there are still fairly regular HGV rollovers, despite the warning signs.

With regards the farm, I do not believe this to be a CC one, all the others around Staffordshire have prominent signage outside advertising that it's CC owned, whereas this one doesn't.
User avatar
wrinkly
Member
Posts: 8986
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:17
Location: Leeds

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by wrinkly »

rw93 wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 08:15 The problem you have around that area is that the fields are a part of the proposed "Blythe Vale Business Park" which has planning consent for 120,000sqm of B1 land use.

http://www.makeitstokestaffs.co.uk/port ... ness-park/

They've more recently been going in for planning to build housing on a portion of the land.
How stupid. Why didn't DfT/HE object?
SteveA30
Member
Posts: 6016
Joined: Fri May 06, 2005 12:52
Location: Dorset

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by SteveA30 »

I think Bryn's reply in the A27 IKEA thread covers this sort of thing.
Roads for the expedient movement of traffic as defined in TMA 2004 have gone out of the window in favour of roads that make tax receipts on business rates and land purchase. To hell with the fact it screws a trunk road up even more, having 200 new jobs is seen as more important even though those 200 new jobs will likely drive and clog up the road with the lost productivity being ignored.
Unless there is pressure to change policy, developers will be screwing up good roads all over the place in the next few years. Is this just England, it sounds so typically the English attitude?
Roads and holidays in the west, before motorways.
http://trektothewest.shutterfly.com
http://holidayroads.webs.com/
User avatar
wrinkly
Member
Posts: 8986
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:17
Location: Leeds

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by wrinkly »

In the case of Blythe Bridge at least, it contradicts the policy on expressways.

Am I imagining it, or has the A50 been listed as a proposed expressway?
GeorgeEvans
Member
Posts: 882
Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2002 10:15
Location: East Staffordshire
Contact:

Re: Uttoxeter Growth Corridor.

Post by GeorgeEvans »

wrinkly wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 11:14 Am I imagining it, or has the A50 been listed as a proposed expressway?
The Uttoxeter section is described as a 'Growth Corridor' by Staffs CC. I don't know how far west it goes but suspect not much further than the adjacent JCB big shed. Whether HE have any special designation for the A50 from, say, Blithe Bridge to the Derbyshire border (and beyond) would be good to know.

The A50 upgrade, continuing since the 1960s, still has a lot to explain for itself... :?
Lez Watson
(formerly AVG Evans)
User avatar
wrinkly
Member
Posts: 8986
Joined: Tue Mar 04, 2008 12:17
Location: Leeds

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by wrinkly »

No, I definitely wasn't thinking of the "Growth Corridor". I was thinking of DfT publications about expressways and the trunk road programme that have been discussed in other threads over the past year ot two. I think the A50 was listed as a potential expressway - but roundabouts on the mainline seem to be incompatible with DfT's/HE's definition of an expressway.
User avatar
jackal
Member
Posts: 7549
Joined: Tue Jan 08, 2008 23:33
Location: M6

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by jackal »

I think the A50 was mentioned in the expressways document. Midlands Connect also have ambitions for it.

If you look at rw93's link, development phase 1 would most likely require the roundabout to be expanded with a fourth arm, which would create disruption and congestion, as well is get in the way of an intermediate solution of a left turn filter. Surely this wouldn't be allowed on a putative expressway, or at least not as a freebie.

Perhaps HE have some kind of commitment for developer contributions towards a GSJ once the development hits a certain size?
Last edited by jackal on Thu Oct 11, 2018 13:41, edited 1 time in total.
GeorgeEvans
Member
Posts: 882
Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2002 10:15
Location: East Staffordshire
Contact:

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by GeorgeEvans »

wrinkly wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 11:50 I think the A50 was listed as a potential expressway - but roundabouts on the mainline seem to be incompatible with DfT's/HE's definition of an expressway.
I quite agree.
Lez Watson
(formerly AVG Evans)
User avatar
danfw194
Member
Posts: 925
Joined: Sat May 26, 2018 23:26
Location: Leicester

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by danfw194 »

Just heard on Radio 2 Travel that the A50 Westbound is shut at Blythe Bridge 'simply because of a broken down lorry'. Deary me.
GeorgeEvans
Member
Posts: 882
Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2002 10:15
Location: East Staffordshire
Contact:

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by GeorgeEvans »

The local newspaper reports that all the work on the by-the-JCB bridge is completed. What now for phase two?
Lez Watson
(formerly AVG Evans)
JF2309
Member
Posts: 242
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2015 12:43

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by JF2309 »

“Highways England is currently considering how to take this project forward.”

https://www.staffordshire.gov.uk/transp ... ridor.aspx

Surley the funding is already in place and the planning has already been done? Roght?
GeorgeEvans
Member
Posts: 882
Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2002 10:15
Location: East Staffordshire
Contact:

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by GeorgeEvans »

JF,

That seems to have been their stock response for some time. It's understandable given the rather charged issues around the McDonalds 'service area' and compulsory land purchases needed for the west side off and on ramps. The local 'anti people are very vocal.

PS IMHO I don't see why they can't build a road overbridge where the roundabout is to reconnect the former Rocester road (B5030). Dreams, eh?
Lez Watson
(formerly AVG Evans)
aj444
Member
Posts: 1400
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2005 22:38
Location: Derbys

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by aj444 »

wrinkly wrote: Thu Oct 11, 2018 11:50 - but roundabouts on the mainline seem to be incompatible with DfT's/HE's definition of an expressway.
There are bus stops (Foston and Sudbury) too....
JF2309
Member
Posts: 242
Joined: Thu Feb 19, 2015 12:43

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by JF2309 »

GeorgeEvans wrote: Sun Mar 24, 2019 20:11 JF,

That seems to have been their stock response for some time. It's understandable given the rather charged issues around the McDonalds 'service area' and compulsory land purchases needed for the west side off and on ramps. The local 'anti people are very vocal.

PS IMHO I don't see why they can't build a road overbridge where the roundabout is to reconnect the former Rocester road (B5030). Dreams, eh?
Staffs CC are not the best at PR and Public Communications. I think the ‘Service Area’ is being retained(?), I might have made that up but I’m sure I read it would be kept.

The A518 Old Knotty Way, Town Meadows Way and The Dove Way were built as a relief road to bypass the town centre and that roundabout so it would be fairly superfluous to have another here.
GeorgeEvans
Member
Posts: 882
Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2002 10:15
Location: East Staffordshire
Contact:

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by GeorgeEvans »

The A518 Old Knotty Way, Town Meadows Way and The Dove Way were built as a relief road to bypass the town centre and that roundabout so it would be fairly superfluous to have another here.
Yes, I guess so. Thanks for that.
Lez Watson
(formerly AVG Evans)
GeorgeEvans
Member
Posts: 882
Joined: Sun Sep 29, 2002 10:15
Location: East Staffordshire
Contact:

Re: Uttoxeter GSJs

Post by GeorgeEvans »

On a roll.

While looking for something else I've just found a photocopy of a map from circa 2008: 'Figure 1,1 - map of Burton to Swadlincote Regeneration Corridor'. It's from the East Staffs & South Derbs Core Strategy material, and clearly slows - if little else! - the proposed A514 extension (see here).

The image shows the new road meeting the A38 at a point near Marley Tiles Ltd, as originally intended by Staffs CC. Although it's a decade on, I wonder whether the local planning peeps still have an eye on the big 'prize? I suspect so, as its construction would be a huge boost to the local economy. My feeling is the councils, regional bodies and signed up contractors (?) are looking at this, the next big job, once the river bridge construction is underway [I've no evidence - yet].

PS The private/public financed section of the Woodville by-pass was completed last year; the other section is in hand.
Lez Watson
(formerly AVG Evans)
Post Reply