A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

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Alderpoint
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

Post by Alderpoint »

danfw194 wrote: Mon Aug 08, 2022 15:54 Anyone wishing to join the A46 southbound from the B4082 is now likely to have to take more of a risk, because the flow up the A46 from Binley will now be uninterrupted. I anticipate accidents.
Not really. Traffic from the A46 southbound wanting to head down the B4082 is often queuing on the roundabout and this really limits the flow up the A46. This means that any traffic from the B4082 wanting to join the A46 in either direction has plenty of opportunity to do this safely. It also means that the morning and evening northbound queues which used to end at the Binley roundabout now continue up to the Walsgave roundabout.

But for A46 southbound through traffic the flow is now so much better - not seen any queues at all this way yet even though the 40mph limit is still in place.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

Post by ForestChav »

Bryn666 wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 13:44
Alderpoint wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 13:32 The flyovers at Binley opened over the weekend. Not had reason to go up that way yet, will have to invent something....
It looked very close to completion a couple of Fridays ago when I was passing through. Hopefully this doesn't turn the next roundabout into a nightmare pending its own replacement.
It's pretty decent. Went that way down to the west country a week or so back and it certainly seems like it will make a real difference...

Though it's possible it could just move the jams down a bit where the A46 totsos off the ring road to Warwick.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

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My weekly day in the office today, so I came up the A46 Coventry Eastern Bypass earlier and I am please to report the Binley junction is now fully open - including the new flyover and all the sliproads, it's fully lit and is National Speed Limit - although the "repeaters" do look like full-sized NSL signs rather than the smaller repeaters.

Now we just need them to start on the Walsgrave hospital junction.... I'll probably be retired by the time they finish that.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

Post by ravenbluemoon »

Alderpoint wrote: Thu Dec 01, 2022 08:59 ... it's fully lit and is National Speed Limit
Does the 50 limit start where it originally did now, i.e. before the Toll Bar junction? If so that's decent, I was worried that the lower limit would be kept all the way though.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

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ravenbluemoon wrote: Thu Dec 01, 2022 20:45
Alderpoint wrote: Thu Dec 01, 2022 08:59 ... it's fully lit and is National Speed Limit
Does the 50 limit start where it originally did now, i.e. before the Toll Bar junction? If so that's decent, I was worried that the lower limit would be kept all the way though.
The 50 limit runs from exactly where it was previously, from just south of the railway bridge through Toll Bar and to Festival Island. Northbound from the railway bridge here all the way up to the M69 junction it is NSL and the same southbound. (For now, the plans for Walsgrave indicate the bend there replacing the existing roundabout will be 50.) Although I can't see any repeaters north of the Walgrave roundabout.

Not that anyone obeys the 50 limit under Toll Bar... mea culpa.

It was really nice today going through here both directions at around 70 - makes you realise how much roadworks impact your end-to-end journey times.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

Post by danfw194 »

Ah nice, I drove it early November and the roadworks 40mph limit was still in force all the way to Walsgrave. Glad to hear it's NSL, I feared that they might just see an opportunity to continue with the 50mph limit from Toll Bar.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

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"National Highways has awarded Octavius Infrastructure a contract to design and construct the £112.5m A46 Walsgrave junction upgrade"

https://www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk/Octa ... rade/12124
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

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jackal wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 09:49 "National Highways has awarded Octavius Infrastructure a contract to design and construct the £112.5m A46 Walsgrave junction upgrade"

https://www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk/Octa ... rade/12124
Thanks - interesting.

I went that way a couple of days ago and I was just thinking:

- the Binley upgrade is a great improvement

- when are they doing the next one?

Now I have the answer!
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Re: A46 Newark Northern Bypass

Post by KILLER KNIGHT »

danfw194 wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:58
KILLER KNIGHT wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 21:22
danfw194 wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 15:10

I think Stivichall has probably received all the titivations due for it so I can't see that being upgraded much further, but I stand to be corrected on that. I'd be amazed (and delighted) if any plans were afoot to make northbound A46 freeflow with a flyover.

Hobby Horse is an interesting one, I live right near it and daily drive it. Would love to see a full grade separation but I haven't heard anything in local media about any plans. All the talk locally was about a brand new 'Eastern Bypass' that would have routed from the M69, around the south and east of Leicester to connect to the existing A46 north of Hobby Horse, but I believe that's dead in the water now. Hobby Horse is tricky because the A46 is pretty much a 90 degree turn here. Plus, at peak times the freeflow lane isn't much use. If you catch the lights right, it can actually be quicker to stay in lane 2 and turn left at the roundabout. At peak, lane 1 is often nose-to-tail from the A6 junction. M1 J21 is very similar, you're often better off avoiding the lane 1 freeflow.
What do you mean by ‘titivitations’?
Signalisation, changes to the configurations of the lanes, the 'new' exit for the airport etc.
Oh okay. The one that needs sorting out is the one that’s west from Stivichall. I don’t know what it’s called.
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Re: A46 Newark Northern Bypass

Post by KILLER KNIGHT »

danfw194 wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 11:58
KILLER KNIGHT wrote: Tue Feb 21, 2023 21:22
danfw194 wrote: Thu Feb 24, 2022 15:10

I think Stivichall has probably received all the titivations due for it so I can't see that being upgraded much further, but I stand to be corrected on that. I'd be amazed (and delighted) if any plans were afoot to make northbound A46 freeflow with a flyover.

Hobby Horse is an interesting one, I live right near it and daily drive it. Would love to see a full grade separation but I haven't heard anything in local media about any plans. All the talk locally was about a brand new 'Eastern Bypass' that would have routed from the M69, around the south and east of Leicester to connect to the existing A46 north of Hobby Horse, but I believe that's dead in the water now. Hobby Horse is tricky because the A46 is pretty much a 90 degree turn here. Plus, at peak times the freeflow lane isn't much use. If you catch the lights right, it can actually be quicker to stay in lane 2 and turn left at the roundabout. At peak, lane 1 is often nose-to-tail from the A6 junction. M1 J21 is very similar, you're often better off avoiding the lane 1 freeflow.
What do you mean by ‘titivitations’?
Signalisation, changes to the configurations of the lanes, the 'new' exit for the airport etc.
It’s the one at Finham.
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Re: A46 Newark Northern Bypass

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KILLER KNIGHT wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 13:48 It’s the one at Finham.
Finham junction is not on the A46: it's on the A45 and B4113 (previously the A444).

And being a built-up area, putting a flyover in would probably involve demolishing the Miller & Carter pub, a BP petrol station and the Peugeot car dealership which has only just been rebuilt. Good luck with that!

There are about 7 at-grade junctions on the A45 around Coventry - can't see that ever changing.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

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roadtester wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 11:52
jackal wrote: Wed Feb 22, 2023 09:49 "National Highways has awarded Octavius Infrastructure a contract to design and construct the £112.5m A46 Walsgrave junction upgrade"

https://www.highwaysmagazine.co.uk/Octa ... rade/12124
I went that way a couple of days ago and I was just thinking:
- the Binley upgrade is a great improvement
- when are they doing the next one?
Now I have the answer!
They are the same people who did Binley and they seem to be using the same works compound so should be able to crack-on quickly.

I only go through there a couple of times a week now and as predicted the queues have moved from being at the Binley roundabout, to being at the Walsgrave roundabout.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

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Given the investments elsewhere on the A46 I do find it pretty unbelievable that they removed the left turn freeflow at Stivichall without even the fig leaf of more stacking space. Still three lanes, but now they all stop at the lights. I realise there were some issues with compliance as the SLT was painted on, but surely the solution would be to improve compliance (signage, bollards perhaps?) rather than give up and reduce capacity.

The other side of the junction is even worse, with strategic traffic actually reduced to two lanes so they can have their precious development access.

Combined with the flat roundabout going in just south of the big project at Newark this must be the most incoherent "strategy" for any UK trunk road.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

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jackal wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 17:50 The other side of the junction is even worse, with strategic traffic actually reduced to two lanes so they can have their precious development access.
Sorry but you need to explain that a bit more, there has only ever been two lanes around the roundabout.
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Re: A46 Newark Northern Bypass

Post by KILLER KNIGHT »

Alderpoint wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 15:58
KILLER KNIGHT wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 13:48 It’s the one at Finham.
Finham junction is not on the A46: it's on the A45 and B4113 (previously the A444).

And being a built-up area, putting a flyover in would probably involve demolishing the Miller & Carter pub, a BP petrol station and the Peugeot car dealership which has only just been rebuilt. Good luck with that!

There are about 7 at-grade junctions on the A45 around Coventry - can't see that ever changing.
Who said anything about flyovers or overpasses? They could built a through-about or a good old underpass.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

Post by KILLER KNIGHT »

jackal wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 17:50 Given the investments elsewhere on the A46 I do find it pretty unbelievable that they removed the left turn freeflow at Stivichall without even the fig leaf of more stacking space. Still three lanes, but now they all stop at the lights. I realise there were some issues with compliance as the SLT was painted on, but surely the solution would be to improve compliance (signage, bollards perhaps?) rather than give up and reduce capacity.

The other side of the junction is even worse, with strategic traffic actually reduced to two lanes so they can have their precious development access.

Combined with the flat roundabout going in just south of the big project at Newark this must be the most incoherent "strategy" for any UK trunk road.
They remove too many free-flow lanes! Two junctions on A500 -Queensway have had them removed! One of them is acceptable, the other one is absolutely not!!
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Re: A46 Newark Northern Bypass

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KILLER KNIGHT wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 23:41
Alderpoint wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 15:58
KILLER KNIGHT wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 13:48 It’s the one at Finham.
Finham junction is not on the A46: it's on the A45 and B4113 (previously the A444).

And being a built-up area, putting a flyover in would probably involve demolishing the Miller & Carter pub, a BP petrol station and the Peugeot car dealership which has only just been rebuilt. Good luck with that!

There are about 7 at-grade junctions on the A45 around Coventry - can't see that ever changing.
Who said anything about flyovers or overpasses? They could built a through-about or a good old underpass.
You need the same amount of room for an underpass and the size of the Finham roundabout would just mean even more of a signalised mess. Even the roundabout down at Canley is too small for that.
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

Post by Herned »

jackal wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 17:50 Given the investments elsewhere on the A46 I do find it pretty unbelievable that they removed the left turn freeflow at Stivichall without even the fig leaf of more stacking space. Still three lanes, but now they all stop at the lights. I realise there were some issues with compliance as the SLT was painted on, but surely the solution would be to improve compliance (signage, bollards perhaps?) rather than give up and reduce capacity.
Why do NH get rid of free flow left turns so often? Is it an official policy? Seems entirely backward to me
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

Post by jackal »

Alderpoint wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 20:21
jackal wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 17:50 The other side of the junction is even worse, with strategic traffic actually reduced to two lanes so they can have their precious development access.
Sorry but you need to explain that a bit more, there has only ever been two lanes around the roundabout.
On the northern bridge there were three lanes; there still are but one is dedicated to the development access now. Compare Google satellite (before) and streetview (after).
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Re: A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade

Post by jackal »

Herned wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 08:34
jackal wrote: Thu Feb 23, 2023 17:50 Given the investments elsewhere on the A46 I do find it pretty unbelievable that they removed the left turn freeflow at Stivichall without even the fig leaf of more stacking space. Still three lanes, but now they all stop at the lights. I realise there were some issues with compliance as the SLT was painted on, but surely the solution would be to improve compliance (signage, bollards perhaps?) rather than give up and reduce capacity.
Why do NH get rid of free flow left turns so often? Is it an official policy? Seems entirely backward to me
There's no official policy, just the confluence of several factors:

1. Stivichall I assume was for safety reasons as the SLT reduced to a painted line on the slip road with poor compliance.
2. In other cases (like I suspect A1nb to A46eb) they are removed due to poor merge arrangements.
3. They want to use the space for other, more congested movements (e.g., one SLT plus two lanes for other turns becomes four signalised lanes).
4. The designers think two signalised left turn lanes are better than one freeflow one (false for any realistic set of timings at a busy junction - see M40 J9 or M6 J10).

If I were to give one over-arching reason though it would be that many engineers see freeflow as too difficult to do right in the DMRB context and signals as the solution to everything. They'll be on another job by the time its built and worse than the status quo ante.
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