Local Road Projects

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wrinkly
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by wrinkly »

lefthandedspanner wrote:The East Leeds Orbital Road is a bypass of the existing ring road through Cross Gates, Whinmoor and Seacroft.
This is similar to a plan of about 25 years years ago (when this part of the A6120 was a trunk road) ecept with flat roundabouts where the previous plan had GSJs.
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Chris5156
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Chris5156 »

wrinkly wrote:This is similar to a plan of about 25 years years ago (when this part of the A6120 was a trunk road) ecept with flat roundabouts where the previous plan had GSJs.
I think the same plan involved grade-separating parts of the A6120 west of there. I have documents somewhere showing a GSJ at the A61 junction, and I remember test bores being made in the central reservation around there to investigate ground conditions for an underpass.
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jackal
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by jackal »

lefthandedspanner wrote:There is also a major city centre transportation project planned, including this:
1. Improve the operation and capacity of the IRR and M621 to maximise the efficiency of the existing orbital network to accommodate the traffic which currently goes through the city centre. The City Centre Package will deliver the improvements on the Inner Ring Road including significant improvements at Armley Gyratory. This will be complementary to M621 proposals being developed by Highways England.
One can only hope 'significant improvements at Armley Gyratory' means grade-separating it, since they've already stuck traffic lights on it - and because it's hemmed in by railway bridges on two sides, there's very little room for filter lanes.
It would be quite a complex project to fit in a GSJ at this site and I'm afraid I can't see an LA stumping up maybe £50m for a single junction, however important it might be. I'd like to be wrong about that, of course.

There's already a one lane filter for A647->A58nb; though it would be more of a squeeze I expect they could do the same for A58sb->A58sb. Beyond that you're looking at hamburgerisation, probably across the Eastern side of the gyratory.
(The Highways England scheme they're referring to is "M621 Junction 1-7 improvements"; I've not been able to find any details about it so far beyond the title.)
The RIS just says 'M621 Junctions 1-7 improvements – improvement of key junctions on the M621 in central Leeds, providing safer and more reliable journeys for those travelling in the city', which isn't very enlightening. It is listed to start construction by 2020 though.
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Chris5156
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Chris5156 »

jackal wrote:
lefthandedspanner wrote:One can only hope 'significant improvements at Armley Gyratory' means grade-separating it, since they've already stuck traffic lights on it - and because it's hemmed in by railway bridges on two sides, there's very little room for filter lanes.
It would be quite a complex project to fit in a GSJ at this site and I'm afraid I can't see an LA stumping up maybe £50m for a single junction, however important it might be. I'd like to be wrong about that, of course.
Being hemmed in by railway bridges makes a GSJ even less likely than new filter lanes.

It's a really unfortunate location for such an important junction - as well as railway lines on two sides, restricting the width, alignment and height of two main approaches, there's also the stuff in the middle. There's a car park there for a major British Gas site, and some gas supply equipment too. The reason this junction is a vast roundabout in the first place is because of the need to avoid disturbing all of that.

In order to really fix it, you'd need to provide British Gas with another car park site adjacent to their buildings and training facility, and you'd need to pay them to relocate whatever infrastructure is in the middle of the junction. But if you could do that, the space freed up in the middle is substantial and you could do something interesting there. A three-way free flow design, with low speeds on the turning ramps, is easily possible; the complicating factor then is integrating Wellington Road somehow. I doubt it will happen!
Richard (Barrow)
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Richard (Barrow) »

http://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2016/07/po ... rossroads/

The last of the roundabouts that are being tinkered with on the A582 is due to be changed to a crossroads beginning next month. The vegetation clearance is already underway.
SteveA30
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by SteveA30 »

The South Bristol Link is nearing completion. Winter 2016 according to the sign.
First one is looking south on the A38. Half a rbt for the road to the east side of Bristol to link with the A4174. Will that be its number?

Second one looking west to the A370. Looks like that section has a later completion date.

Despite being signal infested, it will be a useful A4-A38 link and the A370-A38 will bypass many rbts and lights and a 1 way system in Bedminster.
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Stevie D
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Stevie D »

Another one that I spotted on signs last night that I wasn't aware was happening - no new roads, but around Howden, the primary A63 has now been diverted along the western pseudo-bypass (which has been the signposted route for through traffic for as long as I've known it), and the very narrow, tight road through the town has been downgraded to B1230. A very sensible change ... just a shame there is no plan to upgrade the bypass to link directly with M62 J37 because the current road, while better than going through the town, really isn't up to much.
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wrinkly
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by wrinkly »

There was such a plan once, when the A63 was still trunk, but it was dropped.
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Norfolktolancashire
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Norfolktolancashire »

Richard (Barrow) wrote:http://www.blogpreston.co.uk/2016/07/po ... rossroads/

The last of the roundabouts that are being tinkered with on the A582 is due to be changed to a crossroads beginning next month. The vegetation clearance is already underway.
I suppose this removal of a roundabout (which is rare these days) is to ease pedestrian and cycle traffic?

So far the improved roundabouts and the new D2 look to be of a good standard, and once it is all completed will make an easier journey from Walton Summit (end of the M65) and Leyland to Preston centre. What will be interesting is how much more traffic it will have to take with the new residential areas planned along it.
darkcape
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by darkcape »

Drove the A391 new Carluddon section whilst away over the Bank Holiday - a neat section of road but seems very short, and I can't really see what it is bypassing (had to check on Google Maps afterwards!). The arch farm bridge is a really interesting design, the entire thing seems cast in-situ and then built up with earth on top (no doubt with some sort of geogrid-type reinforcing system) - makes a change to the bankseat-and-beam 4-pour design most new routes favour.
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GC_A690
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by GC_A690 »

Sunderland council spent last week re-painting the lines on an S2 section of the A183 in the city which always attracts queues particularly at peak times. Two wide lanes have become three narrower ones, with the middle lane assigned to whichever traffic is approaching a roundabout. Looking forward to seeing whether it improves the situation now that school term is starting. It would be nice to think that they could do something to ease congestion without resorting to putting up a whole load of new traffic lights (which is what I was afraid they would eventually do on this section of road).
Fenlander
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Fenlander »

All summer long the only 2 level crossings this end of town have been quieter as there's no school and as there's 4 schools and a nursery the other side of the tracks the crossings get used a lot at school run time. First week back and what do they do? Shut 1 crossing for a fortnight as they put in a new cable to a substation, work that's been scheduled for several months and not time critical in the overall job either.
Why do they have to close the crossing? Because Network Rail say the temporary lights that would be needed to do the job (it isn't actually on the crossing) could mean traffic backs up over the crossing. Not would, not may, just could and they're not willing to investigate other ways of dealing with it.
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Ben302
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Ben302 »

Ben302 wrote:Medway hasn't really got a lot going on at the moment but nearing completion is a realignment and reconfiguration of Gillingham Gate, a local at-grade hamburger style junction A289 to provide an additional arm to serve a new Asda.

Also Peters Village is currently being built between Wouldham and Burham which is a development on a former cement works site which will incorporate houses shops and a school, Phase one sees local junction improvements to tie in the development to the existing rural road network and onto the A229 at Kits Coty, which are nearing completion. The most significant part of the project is a new bridge over the River Medway and road which will run from pilgrims Way in Burham and meet the A228 at that roundabout that has no exits. More here
Peter's bridge opened a couple of weeks ago along with a widened and reconstructed Court Road and already it's becoming a well used route linking Halling, Snodland to Burham and Eccles and Aylesford. Although the link to Wouldham will be opening shortly once the traffic signals installed have been tested. The new road runs from the roundabout with no exits on the A228 outside of Snodland over the Medway valley line on a new bridge before crossing the River Medway on Peter's bridge before terminating at a roundabout with Court Road and Hall Road.
mnb20
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by mnb20 »

The A27 widening Segensworth to Titchfield (near Fareham) has already been mentioned here. It's due to start on the 24th October. There are plans here:

http://www3.hants.gov.uk/a27-dual-carriageway-works
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Truvelo
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Truvelo »

Nice to see the speed limit being retained rather than lowered when the road is widened, cue A13 in East London :@
How would you like your grade separations, Sir?
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sotonsteve
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by sotonsteve »

The speed limit has already been lowered. When the last improvement scheme happened on the A27 between Segensworth and Titchfield in 2006, which involved hatching down an intermediate part of dual carriageway to single lane and putting in a pedestrian crossing the national speed limit was slashed to 40mph.

Congestion has only become more of an issue in the eastbound direction thanks to the previous "improvements". You'd have thought there wouldn't be much of an impact, reducing the speed limit and taking out a relatively short intermediate overtaking opportunity, but it really did. Most traffic used to do around 40-50mph through the middle section before, but with the 40mph limit traffic all tends to slow down to a 25mph dawdle at the start of the single lane bit, increasing up to 40mph at an excruciatingly slow rate as people dither about. The pedestrian crossing doesn't cause much of an issue most of the time, as not many people use it, but when it does get used the queues rack up quickly.
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wrinkly
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by wrinkly »

I hadn't heard of the Beccles Southern Relief road before but it has been approved:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ors-report

https://www.gov.uk/government/publicati ... ion-letter
Reading
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Reading »

Not really a local roads project more of a "how will M4 J11 & A33 cope" or how would the effect be mitigated, plan for 15000 new houses just South of M4 (ps the station listed can't be built for ages due to the recent scaling back of electrification diesels can't accelerate fast enough to have the extra stations and meet the timetable so it will be mainly road traffic created)

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/readin ... 0-12154703
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Truvelo
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Truvelo »

I'm more concerned about the two white circles on the A33. Are these going to be GSJs are at-grade? I suspect the whole Spencers Wood bypass will become ridden with roundabouts and traffic lights with the inevitable reduction in the speed limit.
How would you like your grade separations, Sir?
Big and complex.
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Alderpoint
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Re: Local Road Projects

Post by Alderpoint »

Two local projects in Warwick:

Stanks Island (A46) and Birmingham Road improvement

Town Centre one-way system which IMO goes the wrong way (anticlockwise) around the town centre.
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