M1 Junction 13 Upgrades - Universal Studios Great Britain

[havaska_uk]

Some of you may or may not be aware but Universal Studios have bought a large parcel of land in Bedford at Kempston where they intend to build a full sized resort.

As part of the enabling works for this, dedicated slips would be provided from the A421.

With the Black Cat end being ‘sorted’ it is my understanding that National Highways are currently working on junction upgrade options for M1 J13.

So nothing concrete yet but potentially some very good news! The current setup is just a hot mess.

[M19]

Going by its previous track record, expect more lanes, lights and roundabouts thrown at it to make the queues a bit shorter but fatter, before becoming longer than they were before. That will never happen though because the “expert” modelling says so.

National Highways hasn’t committed to any investment yet. Its failure to do so has delayed the Local Plan where housing at strategic sites on the A421 threaten to stuff up the highway network.

If that’s the case with housing, then how can it be any better with a theme park?

[havaska_uk]

I suspect the difference here is that they’ll get either money from central government to pay for it or from Universal or a combination of both.

[owen b]

It's not just M1 J13 that's a problem. The A421 Bedford southern bypass is only about 30 years old and the A6 to A600 section already has average daily traffic flows above 60,000, very high for a D2. With the huge amount of development from the M1 to Bedford, and the Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvement soon to make the A421 more attractive for strategic traffic, I think congestion is only going to worsen both at M1 J13 and on the Bedford bypass unless further capacity increases are provided.

[Big L]

I suspect the difference here is that they’ll get either money from central government to pay for it or from Universal or a combination of both.

Is it fact or myth that Eurodisney was going to be built in the UK but we wouldn’t pay for the motorway junction.

[WHBM]

Going by its previous track record, expect more lanes, lights and roundabouts thrown at it to make the queues a bit shorter but fatter, before becoming longer than they were before. That will never happen though because the “expert” modelling says so.

Experience was that Expert Modelling was back-calculated to fit the client's budget, with more than a passing eye on a desired outcome in the report leading to repeat consultancy business. Reality be blowed.

[Micro The Maniac]

Is it fact or myth that Eurodisney was going to be built in the UK but we wouldn’t pay for the motorway junction.

A myth. AIUI, the final four options were Paris, Marseille, Barcelona and a second option in Spain.

[roadtester]

It's not just M1 J13 that's a problem. The A421 Bedford southern bypass is only about 30 years old and the A6 to A600 section already has average daily traffic flows above 60,000, very high for a D2. With the huge amount of development from the M1 to Bedford, and the Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvement soon to make the A421 more attractive for strategic traffic, I think congestion is only going to worsen both at M1 J13 and on the Bedford bypass unless further capacity increases are provided.

This is the British public voting with its wheels and telling us that East/West corridor road and rail links need to happen, whatever the official reluctance to provide them.

The number and size of distribution sheds on the A421 since the DC was completed between the A1 and M1 is staggering - and also on the last leg up into MK.

[RichardA35]

It's not just M1 J13 that's a problem. The A421 Bedford southern bypass is only about 30 years old and the A6 to A600 section already has average daily traffic flows above 60,000, very high for a D2. With the huge amount of development from the M1 to Bedford, and the Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvement soon to make the A421 more attractive for strategic traffic, I think congestion is only going to worsen both at M1 J13 and on the Bedford bypass unless further capacity increases are provided.

Those with a long memory about the area will remember Nirah which was going to be, I think, on the same site. When planning the A421 there was internal discussion over whether to include it in the traffic model - it wasn't as it wasn't a committed development in 2006-7 - so any traffic effects from the site will have to be mitigated by the new developer.
As I recall the design traffic was c.70,000vpd and the forecasts are expiring about now precisely because the forecast developments and others are coming on stream and their effects are different to those forecast (A421 into MK dualling being one of the key variances in the POPE)

[Bryn666]

Is it fact or myth that Eurodisney was going to be built in the UK but we wouldn’t pay for the motorway junction.

A myth. AIUI, the final four options were Paris, Marseille, Barcelona and a second option in Spain.

Definitely a myth, Disney never considered the UK as a viable location. Paris was selected because it's relatively central location (they worked out the catchment area was huge and the looming TGV connections made it even better - Spain was discounted as it's a bit of a 'dead end' transport wise being located on a giant peninsula, and Marseille doesn't have any flat land.

[roadtester]

Is it fact or myth that Eurodisney was going to be built in the UK but we wouldn’t pay for the motorway junction.

A myth. AIUI, the final four options were Paris, Marseille, Barcelona and a second option in Spain.

The UK was in contention, although no more than that, at one stage - it was widely reported and speculated upon in the press at the time.

One reason it ended up where it did was Disney's calculation that with Eurotunnel in the pipeline, if you'll forgive the pun, London and the Southeast of England would be within range, so the UK market was clearly near top-of-mind in Disney's thinking.

The irony, of course, was that while the UK would probably have welcomed it with open arms, the French themselves were somewhat ambivalent about securing this 'prize', with a French theatre director famously describing it as a 'cultural Chernobyl'.

[jackal]

You can see the A421 junction design in the information boards here:

https://universalukproject.co.uk/

Basically there are three new slips south of the A6 GSJ, the eastbound onslip being omitted. They claim the new slips will take 85% of traffic for the resort - I assume the rest are using the A6 GSJ.

While the panels mention significant infrastructure upgrades, apparently including two new train stations, there's no reference to an M1 J13 upgrade. Wishful thinking? I think there would be a better case for A421 widening in the new weaving space to the A6.

[havaska_uk]

This is the British public voting with its wheels and telling us that East/West corridor road and rail links need to happen, whatever the official reluctance to provide them.

At the recent public consultations Universal made it clear that they expect the East West rail link to be built and have a station planned next to their park, along with another station on the London line.

[jackal]

To be fair it is an outstanding location in terms of rail access. Or at least would be with E-W Rail and a new Wixhams station on the Midlands Main Line.

[havaska_uk]

You can see the A421 junction design in the information boards here:

https://universalukproject.co.uk/

Basically there are three new slips south of the A6 GSJ, the eastbound onslip being omitted. They claim the new slips will take 85% of traffic for the resort - I assume the rest are using the A6 GSJ.

While the panels mention significant infrastructure upgrades, apparently including two new train stations, there's no reference to an M1 J13 upgrade. Wishful thinking? I think there would be a better case for A421 widening in the new weaving space to the A6.

Lidlington Parish Council put out a newsletter where it said they’d attended meetings between Universal and Bedford Council and the the UK Gov and upgrading M1 J13 was one of the developments.

[jackal]

^ Fair enough.

It's a bit of a weird junction to upgrade. An Oxbridge Expressway-style mainline is quite easy to add, but right turns are harder.

M1nb to A421eb freeflow might be possible with a diverge after the dumbbell bridge, running parallel with the nb onslip to squeeze under the A421 bridge, then a big turn over the M1 to the A421eb. You can see I have something similar in green (should be blue) in the middle of this sketch from the Oxbridge Expressway era - ignore the other stuff!



The reality is likely to be stacking space and signals - or nothing at all.

[A303Chris]

Is it fact or myth that Eurodisney was going to be built in the UK but we wouldn’t pay for the motorway junction.

A myth. AIUI, the final four options were Paris, Marseille, Barcelona and a second option in Spain.

Definitely a myth, Disney never considered the UK as a viable location. Paris was selected because it's relatively central location (they worked out the catchment area was huge and the looming TGV connections made it even better - Spain was discounted as it's a bit of a 'dead end' transport wise being located on a giant peninsula, and Marseille doesn't have any flat land.

There is a bit of truth in it, they did look at the old Windsor Safari Park, now Legoland as a site, during initial planning for there preferred options and wanted a dedicated motorway link from the M4 at Junction 7 to the rear of the site. Two main issues, that the route started in Bucks and finished in Berks (There is a one mile section of the M4 between the Thames Bridge and J7 in Bucks) so arguments over planning and who funded it.

I saw the pre planning details when at Berkshire CC, 30 years ago.

The planning issue was the road would have gone across Dorney and Boveney common, through Green Belt, require a new bridge of the Thames , through Oakley Green and would have no other access points. It would have affected the a lot.

Secondly the applicants wanted the DfT / Government to pay for the lot, which we just don't do that here and the DfT said they did not build junctions to serve private developments.

The negotiations did not last long and Legoland went in, with a TA which showed (cough) that Legoland would generate similar traffic levels to the former Safari Park. There was a lot of political support to get Legoland in.

The French government paid for all the roads into Eurodisney from the A4, so while I would say Windsor was never there preferred choice, they did have a look.

[c2R]

It's not just M1 J13 that's a problem. The A421 Bedford southern bypass is only about 30 years old and the A6 to A600 section already has average daily traffic flows above 60,000, very high for a D2. With the huge amount of development from the M1 to Bedford, and the Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvement soon to make the A421 more attractive for strategic traffic, I think congestion is only going to worsen both at M1 J13 and on the Bedford bypass unless further capacity increases are provided.

I think the world of satnav and live traffic and upgrades to the M1 as well as of course the A421 over the years has come together to make it the preferred alternative if you're heading for, say, Stevenage from much of the midlands M6 corridor. Waze gives it the preferred choice nearly every time, with only occasionally deciding instead that going through Barton le clay is faster...

[tom66]

As someone who lives nearby in Rushden I support a project like this. Traffic on the A421 isn't that bad as it is, usually 70 mph free flow even during rush hour, so provided some reasonable improvements are made to the M1 end I don't see major issues there. Obviously Black Cat needs improvement too but that's already in progress.

[SteelCamel]

It's a bit of a weird junction to upgrade. An Oxbridge Expressway-style mainline is quite easy to add, but right turns are harder.

The layout here is making me think of a braided junction. The A421 and M1 run alongside for 2 miles, longer than the Kearsley (M61/A666) junction. Move the eastbound A421 to the other side of the M1 and put in a couple of braided slips each side, you've got full free-flow between the primary routes. Still have to work out how to hook in the A507 and the local roads though.