Latest news with #roadimprovements
BBC News
6 days ago
- Automotive
- BBC News
Trowbridge traffic gyratory roadworks to begin in July
A "significant programme" of improvements to a major road system will begin in Council said the upgrade to Longfield Gyratory in Trowbridge will improve journey times while also upgrading crossing points to improve safety for pedestrians. The authority added the work will be completed in five phases to minimise disruption, starting in the County Way area, before moving in a clockwise part of the works, traffic lights will be modernised and the carriageway widened at certain points to help drivers of larger vehicles. The traffic signals at Tesco on County Way will also be refurbished and integrated into the new first phase, due to begin on 21 July and run until 17 October, will focus on County Way and Brown Street, before further upgrades take place on Castle Street and at County Gate in November and December .Phases 4 and 5 are due to take place next year, covering areas around the under-construction Trowbridge Leisure Centre, Mortimer Street and County Hall. Work 'carefully planned' Martin Smith, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport, described the works as "essential upgrades", which "will not only support the new leisure centre but also deliver long-term benefits for all road users in Trowbridge"."We apologise for any inconvenience caused by these works, but we have carefully planned the work in phases to minimise disruption as much as we can."
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
The legacy of a £1.5bn A-road upgrade
For decades, a dual carriageway in Cambridgeshire was synonymous with slow-moving traffic, jack-knifed lorries and long, long delays. That changed in May 2020, when the new A14 opened ahead of schedule, a12-mile (19km) Cambridge to Huntingdon three-lane carriageway. More than five years after the £1.5bn road improvement scheme was completed, what do locals think - and what is its legacy? The BBC has been finding out. "Driving to Stansted Airport could potentially be a two-hour trip, just to get there for a pick-up or drop off - now it's a 45-minute journey," said Stuart Gibbons. The co-founder of Le Mark, a Huntingdon-based company, is a huge fan of the improvements. "We are a business that is rural, we're in a nice part of the county, but we need to get up and down the motorways when we need to," he said. The company produces tapes, custom-printed labels, professional dance floors and crew-wear for the entertainment industry, including TV, touring bans, theatre, stage and performance. It buys and sells internationally, which is why getting to Stansted Airport is so important. But Mr Gibbons can also confidently tell customers in north London that Le Mark can drop off items within an hour and a half. "The difference is we can make an appointment we are fairly certain we can meet," he said. Heidi Brown has been working for Le Mark for three years - and commuting along the A14 for much longer than that. The upgraded road has transformed her journey to work. "Historically, it was quite a lot of congestion, it wasn't the easiest of journeys - I'd often have to find alternative routes to work," the purchasing assistant said. "Now I can confidently leave knowing I can get to work and I don't have to allow more time in advance." Her colleague, social media content creator Charlotte Brooks, agreed, adding: "I'd hear [the old A14} a lot near our house, but it's a lot better now, much more quiet." "It's a hugely important bridge, the level of vehicles using this bridge is massive - from villages like Oakington, Cottenham, Longstanton and Willingham," said Luis Navarro. The newly elected Liberal Democrat county councillor has found himself negotiating with National Highways over settling embankments on land around the Bar Hill bridge at junction 25. The new layout there was part of the A14 project, but now locals are saying they feel a bump when they drive over it and Mr Navarro is "concerned it could become a hazard". "The technical term is the bridge is 'settling' and National Highways have now attached monitoring devices to it, to provide data on how fast or if the bridge is still settling," he said. "It's important we are on top of this issue... it's a major artery and the idea is we try to get a permanent solution to reassure drivers that it's safe." A National Highways spokesperson said it had been monitoring the bridge for more than a year, initially with inspections by engineers. "This has now been enhanced to include digital monitoring," they said. "This is part of a phased assessment process as we continue our work with Cambridgeshire County Council to determine the root cause and put an appropriate solution in place." About 270 hectares (670 acres) of habitat, including 40 native tree and shrub species, was created for wildlife along the new section of the A14, which realigned the dual carriageway south of Huntingdon. Locals say the tree screen will be vital to mitigate against noise from the road. However, National Highways said in 2022 about 20 to 30% of the trees had died, although all have been replanted. It has since planted another 165,000 trees and shrubs, 90% of which have survived. Vhari Russell, who founded the rewilding group Creating Nature's Corridors and with her family, lives close to the A14 in Brampton. They took matters into their own hands by planting their own trees. "What we're really lacking is the mulching and the watering and the nurturing and that wasn't done by National Highways," she said. Paul Salmon has been working on the latest National Highways infrastructure project in Cambridgeshire, from Caxton Gibbet to the Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire, for more than three years. The £1bn A428 project includes a new 10-mile (16km) dual carriageway, as well as bridges and junctions connecting to the existing road. "Everyone locally knows about the Black Cat junction, it's infamous for multiple reasons and has been a pinch point - including the last single carriageway on this east-west corridor between Milton Keynes and Felixstowe," he said. "And we will move that traffic off the local road. "Currently it's about 35,000 vehicles on the A428 a day, and by the time the new road opens, it'll be down to about 3,000 a day." The agency and its partner Skanska have spent time working out "the good, the bad and the indifferent" of the A14 project, the senior project manager added. "For this project, we're top-soiling early, so it'll be green by the time the scheme opens," he said. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. 'Parts of A14 still like a desert after trees die' Residents plant own trees to replace dead A14 ones The multibillion-pound infrastructure set for the East of England National Highways
BBC News
21-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
The legacy of the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon upgrade
For decades, a dual carriageway in Cambridgeshire was synonymous with slow-moving traffic, jack-knifed lorries and long, long changed in May 2020, when the new A14 opened ahead of schedule, a12-mile (19km) Cambridge to Huntingdon three-lane carriageway. More than five years after the £1.5bn road improvement scheme was completed, what do locals think - and what is its legacy?The BBC has been finding out. "Driving to Stansted Airport could potentially be a two-hour trip, just to get there for a pick-up or drop off - now it's a 45-minute journey," said Stuart co-founder of Le Mark, a Huntingdon-based company, is a huge fan of the improvements."We are a business that is rural, we're in a nice part of the county, but we need to get up and down the motorways when we need to," he said. The company produces tapes, custom-printed labels, professional dance floors and crew-wear for the entertainment industry, including TV, touring bans, theatre, stage and buys and sells internationally, which is why getting to Stansted Airport is so Mr Gibbons can also confidently tell customers in north London that Le Mark can drop off items within an hour and a half."The difference is we can make an appointment we are fairly certain we can meet," he said. Heidi Brown has been working for Le Mark for three years - and commuting along the A14 for much longer than that. The upgraded road has transformed her journey to work. "Historically, it was quite a lot of congestion, it wasn't the easiest of journeys - I'd often have to find alternative routes to work," the purchasing assistant said."Now I can confidently leave knowing I can get to work and I don't have to allow more time in advance." Her colleague, social media content creator Charlotte Brooks, agreed, adding: "I'd hear [the old A14} a lot near our house, but it's a lot better now, much more quiet." "It's a hugely important bridge, the level of vehicles using this bridge is massive - from villages like Oakington, Cottenham, Longstanton and Willingham," said Luis newly elected Liberal Democrat county councillor has found himself negotiating with National Highways over settling embankments on land around the Bar Hill bridge at junction new layout there was part of the A14 project, but now locals are saying they feel a bump when they drive over it and Mr Navarro is "concerned it could become a hazard"."The technical term is the bridge is 'settling' and National Highways have now attached monitoring devices to it, to provide data on how fast or if the bridge is still settling," he said."It's important we are on top of this issue... it's a major artery and the idea is we try to get a permanent solution to reassure drivers that it's safe."A National Highways spokesperson said it had been monitoring the bridge for more than a year, initially with inspections by engineers."This has now been enhanced to include digital monitoring," they said. "This is part of a phased assessment process as we continue our work with Cambridgeshire County Council to determine the root cause and put an appropriate solution in place." About 270 hectares (670 acres) of habitat, including 40 native tree and shrub species, was created for wildlife along the new section of the A14, which realigned the dual carriageway south of say the tree screen will be vital to mitigate against noise from the road. However, National Highways said in 2022 about 20 to 30% of the trees had died, although all have been has since planted another 165,000 trees and shrubs, 90% of which have Russell, who founded the rewilding group Creating Nature's Corridors and with her family, lives close to the A14 in took matters into their own hands by planting their own trees."What we're really lacking is the mulching and the watering and the nurturing and that wasn't done by National Highways," she said. Paul Salmon has been working on the latest National Highways infrastructure project in Cambridgeshire, from Caxton Gibbet to the Black Cat roundabout in Bedfordshire, for more than three £1bn A428 project includes a new 10-mile (16km) dual carriageway, as well as bridges and junctions connecting to the existing road. "Everyone locally knows about the Black Cat junction, it's infamous for multiple reasons and has been a pinch point - including the last single carriageway on this east-west corridor between Milton Keynes and Felixstowe," he said. "And we will move that traffic off the local road."Currently it's about 35,000 vehicles on the A428 a day, and by the time the new road opens, it'll be down to about 3,000 a day."The agency and its partner Skanska have spent time working out "the good, the bad and the indifferent" of the A14 project, the senior project manager added. "For this project, we're top-soiling early, so it'll be green by the time the scheme opens," he said. Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Yahoo
19-06-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Three key roads earmarked for upgrades in Denbighshire after £4.8m spending boost
Three key roads in Denbighshire have been identified for improvements using money accessed from the Welsh Government. A similar exercise in Gwynedd has seen more than 60 roads and footpaths earmarked for upgrades. Denbighshire Council has secured £4.8m from Cardiff's Local Government Borrowing Initiative (LGBI) to boost its road maintenance programme. The local authority is now planning 'significant investment' to resurface three roads. They are the A525 Nany Y Garth Pass near Ruthin; the A547 Abergele Road near Rhuddlan; and Ty Newydd Road, a key conduit in Rhyl. Denbighshire's Highways aims to start work 'straight away' during the 'optimum time for carriageway surfacing works'. READ MORE: Three popular beaches in North Wales where common activity now frowned upon READ MORE: Cause of sisters' death in Watkin Path pools confirmed Cllr Barry Mellor, lead member for environment and transport, said: 'We know the improvement of the county's road network is a topic that comes up regularly from our residents. The work that will be carried out on our roads over the next two years will really help improve the network and driving experience for both residents and visitors to Denbighshire.' The LGBI funding runs for two years with Denbighshire saying improvements are planned on a 'number of roads'. Details of other highways to benefit from the funding will be released in due course. Cyngor Gwynedd received £7.8m through the LGBI scheme – it has a two-year target list that extends to more than 60 roads, paths and structures such as bridges and retaining walls. The local authority said these span the entire county from 'Llanrug to Llanystumdwy and from Tudweiliog to Tywyn'. The North Wales Live Whatsapp community for top stories and breaking news is live now - here's how to sign up Council leader Cllr Nia Jeffreys said: 'The condition of the roads is of concern to a large number of local people, but due to the dire financial situation of local authorities we have not been able to invest in the network as we would have liked. 'This investment will make a huge difference and target the areas most in need in terms of potholes in roads, resurfacing, footpaths, and other structures.' The LGBI initative was announced in March by Ken Skates, cabinet secretary for transport and North Wales. It provides an extra £10m of revenue funding to enable local councils to unlock £120m of additional capital funding. A similar scheme was rolled out successfully in Wales between 2012 and 2014. Cllr June Jones, Cyngor Gwynedd's cabinet member for highways, said the extra cash will enable a broader programme of work to be carried out on the country's roads. 'It also means the council will be able to plan spending much better,' she said. Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox 'For example, this past financial year, £750,000 was spent on filling potholes on our network here in Gwynedd. This is not the best use of our road maintenance revenue funding as it is completely responsive. 'Through this investment over two years, we are confident that we will reduce our emergency spending on filling potholes in roads and spend more on programmed resurfacing work.' Find out what's happening on the roads near you
BBC News
15-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Wakefield's roads to get £2.4m pothole repair boost
An extra £2.4m of investment to improve Wakefield's roads and pavements is set to be approved by the district's cash, which will come from the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, is likely to be formally accepted at a meeting next Tuesday.A council report said the money would go towards improvements at Wrenthorpe Bypass in Carr Gate; Common Lane in Upton; Bacon Avenue in Normanton; Barnsley Road in South Elmsall; Pope Street in Whitwood; St Pauls Drive , in Alverthorpe; Standbridge Lane in Kettlethorpe and Thornes Moor Road in report said it was "essential" that road users were kept "safe". Matthew Morley, the council's cabinet member for highways and planning, said: "We are investing in our roads and footpaths every day."Getting this extra funding will really help us to keep people moving right across our district."Wakefield Council is responsible for maintaining 903 miles (1,454 km) of roads, 1,208 miles (1,944 km) of footways, and 93 miles (150 km) of cycle lanes and year, the authority carried out repairs to over 3,100 potholes, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.
