Local Road Projects

[Stevie D]

The Splitter Island. Could this be due to the crappy entry angle onto the roundabout - the idea being to keep simultaneously approaching vehicles as wide apart as possible to reduce the chance of a numpty on the left sideswipng into the vehicle on the right whilst ironing out the needlessly sharp and probably tight geometry of the roundabout?

I don't think so, it doesn't look like the geometry is particularly bad either in the flesh or on the detailed schematics (although they confusingly don't show the splitter island).

Lane 1 is for exits 1 and 2, with lane 2 for exit 3 (middle lane) and lane 3 for exit 3 (right lane).
I'm not sure whether the (very few) local buses that run straight into York at this junction would need to use lane 1 or 2 to get to exit 3 (left lane).

[calvesgreenland]

Have any of the Pinch Point improvements finished on time?

I recall reading a lot of negative press out them, and then it dawned on me that the signalisation of M27 J5, which started in August 2014 and was set to finish in early March 2015, still hasn't finished. The poles were only put up this week.

Their fault or not, it feels like Highways England are really struggling to maintain their own image.

I believe the Decoy Industrial Estate Link Road, alongside the Kingskerswell Bypass in Devon was completed on time?

[Benny]

Junction 16 of the M6 had Pinch Point money and seems better now?

[bikingbunny]

The Congleton Link Road ( an idea that's been around for a long time) is finally on the move again.

Although I don't think it'll be much use without a link to the south A34..

I live just down the road from the proposed scheme ...what's the latest?

[Paul]

Work is starting on the Wakefield Eastern Relief Road:

http://www.wakefield.gov.uk/residents/r ... elief-road

You know you're a Sabrist[ao] when you read of a new road scheme and the first thing that pops into your head is what number it will have.

[poshbakerloo]

The Congleton Link Road ( an idea that's been around for a long time) is finally on the move again.

Although I don't think it'll be much use without a link to the south A34..

I think the idea is to improve access to the M6 from the A523 with traffic coming from Stockport / South East Manchester

[Reading]

New bridge steels put in over the M4 nr J11 for Shinfield relief road.

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/readin ... e-10587015

Facilitated by Reading university as they own most of the land and want to either build a science park and housing to fund the science park. The existing Blackboy bridge just West of here will become pedestrian and cycle only I think (although some talk of buses as well)

[Duple]

The Congleton Link Road ( an idea that's been around for a long time) is finally on the move again.

Although I don't think it'll be much use without a link to the south A34..

I think the idea is to improve access to the M6 from the A523 with traffic coming from Stockport / South East Manchester

Which really should be using the M60/M56 link *cough*

[L.J.D]

Well in Pontefract they have gone back in time and the town end traffic lights are now gone and replaced with two roundabouts , back to its original glory before they put the lights in back in the late 90s. It seems to be all finished and all is flowing well given a few minor accidents but that's just through pure stupidity more than anything. Took them over 6 months to do this. And if you go on the Wakefield Council website and view the scheme they have nicely provided a live camera you can view the new lay out

It's rare for councils to also admit they were in the wrong but that's what they've done here , they admitted installing lights in first place was a mistake

[orudge]

Apparently a report is to be issued (see also here) suggesting various projects that could be implemented on the A947 to improve safety. I can't find the report itself (perhaps not actually published yet), but one of the ideas is apparently dualling the whole thing for an estimated £514 million, which I can't see happening!

The second news article does say "It estimates 10,500 vehicles use the section of road between Dyce and Newmachar on a daily basis but between 11,000 and 39,000 vehicles are required to use it for a case to be made for dualling. [...] around 8,000 vehicles use the road between Newmachar and Oldmeldrum daily". The suggestion is that S2 or WS2 improvements could be made though.

Various suggestions of bypasses (Turriff, Newmachar and Oldmeldrum) seem more practical, but I can't imagine the council being able to find the money for this any time soon. Speed limit cuts and red paint it is, then.

[crowntown100]

A Big Cornwall Roads Update! WOOO!!

Anyway...

A391 Carluddon Improvement

A little while back Cornwall Council built a small section of road just north of St Austell, bypassing the double mini-roundabouts near Penwithick and Carluddon. It's probably only a mile long but it connects to the existing St Austell Bypass. I'll try and get some photos next weekend as I have a new car that I know could actually make it to St Austell! It included a couple of bridges and a new roundabout and is part of a plan to improve the A391 from St Austell to the A30. Speaking of which:

A391 St Austell - A30 Link Road

Cornwall Council voted through a plan to develop a business case to build a new link road from the A30 to St Austell, linking to the recently built piece of road. The business case will cost around £1.5 million and will focus on two routes; one near Bugle and one near Roche. I expect the one near Bugle will connect to the Innis Downs Junction and the one near Roche will meet Victoria Interchange. Time will tell but the project was given the government's backing around the same time that they (re-)announced the RIS last summer. The news story is here and the council website has this.

Union Corner Roundabout

Work has been completed on replacing a couple of mini roundabouts near Falmouth, just off of the Penryn Bypass here. I've driven it a couple of times and it seems alright. I've not seen it in peak times though and as I work full time in Penzance, I can't see it happening anytime soon.

A39 Treluswell Roundabout

Plans have been drawn up to replace the double mini-roundabout at Treluswell at the northern tie-in of the Penryn Bypass and can be found here. I've used this roundabout numerous times and it's never been a nice experience, so hopefully this should sort it out!

A394 Sithney Common Hill

Well, it's finished as I've said before and they repaired the awful surfacing that they did first time around although it still isn't great. Hopefully they will resurface the whole lane in the near future.

A3047 Camborne-Pool-Redruth Link Road

IT'S OPEN! I've driven it a few times now and the new bit is great. The bit that was built by the developers at the Camborne side is not so great. The lanes are narrow and it has a weird central reserve thing that looks naff. It isn't built to the same standards as the new section either and the corners are definately a lot tighter than the new section. To make things worse, they're already digging it up for some reason!
The new section is very nice. It's nice and smooth and the sight lines are good. It could probably be a 40mph road, but it's stuck with a 30 limit. The roundabout at Dolcoath Road has an old wheel from one of the local mineshafts which would have carried the miners up and down from the mines. It goes over the Red River valley on a new bridge and it joins Dundance Lane opposite Heartlands. The road turns right and heads straight for the railway which it hugs quite tightly. There is another set of lights at the turning for Four Lanes/Helston and it goes around the back of Carn Brea leisure centre to meet to old industrial estate road near Bookers wholesalers. All in all, it's an improvement on what was there but there is still more work to go. At the Barncoose end the council are going to rebuild the junction to direct traffic onto the new road which may see the traffic lights removed. They also need to resurface Wilson Way as it's really badly patched up with pot holes the size of footballs. There is more work planned on the A3047 as well as the original Redruth Bypass is going to be reduced to single carriageway in places and some new developments are going up near Tolgus, but that is still to come. There are also plans for more work in Pool by dualling Dundance Way up to the Tesco Extra turning where there will be a new roundabout, but that is also a few years off!

So, the moment you've been waiting for. I actually went out and got some photos of it!


This is the developer built section I was talking about.


Here you can see the Red River Bridge at the bottom of the dip.


Here is the Red River Bridge.

I have a few more photos but these are the best of a bad bunch.

I did warn you it was a big update!

[Haydn1971]

The D1 looks interesting... Love the new arch bridge

[crowntown100]

The D1 looks interesting...

That's one way to put it!

Love the new arch bridge

Yeah, it's very smart. It's a shame they can't build more bridges like it. Give it a few years to dull down a bit and it will look like it's always been there.

[Haydn1971]

I'm sure it's more expensive, but would love to see more photos of it

[crowntown100]

I'm sure it's more expensive, but would love to see more photos of it

Here's the only other photo I've got of the bridge. I should look a bit better in the summer when the sun's out and the grass has grown a bit!



I might go on a sightseeing drive next weekend to get some photos at Temple and Carluddon. I'll have to go past the bridge at some point on that journey so I'll see what I can do!

[Chris5156]

Love the new arch bridge

Yeah, it's very smart. It's a shame they can't build more bridges like it. Give it a few years to dull down a bit and it will look like it's always been there.

It's really nice - very well designed.

Looks like the arches themselves are pre-cast concrete sections, with stone wall facing around them. Very similar to the railway viaducts being built for the Bermondsey Diveunder in SE London. It looks like a reasonably economical way of building an arch bridge but the payoff is a really distinctive structure.

[crowntown100]

Before I forget, there's been more progress!

Truro Eastern Park and Ride

This actually opened sometime last year but there are still works going on at the site as they are building more houses. It does look good though and hopefully it will be as popular as the western P&R, which seems to be doing wonders for the city.

I think the only hitch that they have had is the £30k Bus Lane, which buses can't actually use. That will cost another £30k to remove. I think there was even a thread relating to it?

They have also been rebuilding the A39 into Truro. I've been on it a couple of times and it's lovely and smooth to drive on, but I haven't got any pictures as, basically, all they've done is resurface it and put some new signs up.

[crowntown100]

Love the new arch bridge

Yeah, it's very smart. It's a shame they can't build more bridges like it. Give it a few years to dull down a bit and it will look like it's always been there.

It's really nice - very well designed.

Looks like the arches themselves are pre-cast concrete sections, with stone wall facing around them. Very similar to the railway viaducts being built for the Bermondsey Diveunder in SE London. It looks like a reasonably economical way of building an arch bridge but the payoff is a really distinctive structure.

This is an image from the Council website. As you say, the arches are in precast sections with the bridge built around them.

[Haydn1971]

Will fit in beautifully after several years of vegetation growth

[Johnathan404]

Apologies for the +1, but that bridge is a really nice design.