Latest news with #reliefroad
BBC News
12-08-2025
- BBC News
Sandy Lane 'road to nowhere' officially opens in Northampton
A long-awaited relief road designed to cut congestion and improve traffic flow has officially opened after more than 15 years of delays. The final section of the Sandy Lane Relief Road in Northampton, nicknamed "the road to nowhere" by residents, is now in use. It links the A4500 to Duston and Harpole, aiming to ease pressure on routes to the north and west of Arnull, Reform UK leader of West Northamptonshire Council, said: "It was one of those things top of the agenda when we took office [in May 2024] and it's really good to see [the road] opening." Work on the project began more than 15 years ago but was halted before completion. Construction resumed last year, during which part of Sandy Lane, between Kislingbury and Duston, was the summer, technical checks and safety inspections have been carried out to ensure the road was Butler, cabinet member for highways at the council, added: "This is incredibly useful for local people."[The road] should take a lot of traffic away from the more urban areas and when they start building the new houses, it should make sure that there are no unnecessary delays." Follow Northamptonshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
BBC News
09-08-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Watlington relief road saga sees new consultation delay to scheme
The debate whether to build a relief road around a small market town, that first began more than 50 years ago, is continuing to rumble on - with plans currently out for another public County Council first made a planning application for the route around Watlington in 2022, with work designed to be concluded by the proposals have been delayed by consistent objections - on grounds ranging from requirement to footfall - raised during periods of public consultation, which in turn must be addressed by the latest consultation on the proposals runs until the middle of August, with the authority saying it "anticipates a planning decision in late Summer 2025". But those opposed to the proposal have labelled it as "not needed".Following the most recent delay, a spokesperson for Oxfordshire Roads Action Alliance (ORAA), said: "The scheme is not needed for housing planned in the area.""Developers have agreed to implement, at their cost, off-site highway improvements and traffic management that will improve journeys for many people, without the need to build the road," the group added. The ORAA has raised dozens of individual objections to the proposals over the past few years - including concerns that the development goes against the council's net-zero including the implementation on ANPR cameras in Watlington to prevent HGV traffic, and that the council should instead spend the funds encouraging people to use greener transport have also been put forward by the businesses in Watlington have also objected to the proposals, saying the relief road would decrease footfall in the town. The south Oxfordshire town is less than three miles from Junction 6 of the M40, which it is connected to by the B4009 - which in turn leads-on to the much bigger towns of Benson and Wallingford, and to the busy traffic has to pass through the centre of Watlington - which, at points, is only wide enough to allow one vehicle at a proposed relief road would provide access to the B4009 from either side of the town, and is generally popular with resident previously told the BBC that the lack of a ring road was "killing the town", adding the current situation was "like a war zone".Another said: "The traffic's an issue - it's a great market town, I've lived here for 20 plus years and it's got busier tenfold so something needs to be done about it."He added that if the relief road was not built, then it would "destroy" the council says the route aims to "alleviate congestion, noise and air pollution in the town centre", whilst "enabling future housing developments, by offering more sustainable modes of transport including cycling and walking".Although the relief road was first suggested in the 1970s, the hundreds of new homes built in Watlington in recent years has provided the authority with the funding, and motivation, to implement the scheme. You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.
BBC News
16-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Work on £1m Rugby road scheme agreed
Approval has been given for a £1m scheme to link new warehousing with a town's relief highways project will see a junction opposite Parkfield Road in Rugby opened up, so that lorries can access the development which was approved in March the money for the work will come from developers Total Developments (NW) timescale has been agreed yet. As well as the work on the junction, the project will include the addition of extra pedestrian crossing facilities on the relief road and the widening of the existing footway to incorporate a cycle warehouse development was first put forward in 2021 and Total Developments will also be responsible for "the cost of any unforeseen changes to the works and/or construction delays and over-runs of the scheme", the council said. This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
23-06-2025
- Automotive
- BBC News
Howden relief road construction to start in July
Work to build a new £45m relief road in Howden is due to start at the beginning of July, a council has route would connect the A614 Thorpe Road with Station Road and was expected to take two years to Riding of Yorkshire Council said the scheme was "designed to reduce congestion by diverting heavy traffic away from the town centre, reducing accidents, lowering carbon emissions and improving travel times".Councillor Gary McMaster, the authority's cabinet member for planning, housing and infrastructure, said: "This initiative is part of wider aspirations to enhance infrastructure in Yorkshire and the Humber, ensuring smoother transportation and grow the economy." Sheffield-based firm Aureos Highways was awarded a contract for the project, which also included building four roundabouts for the authority said the work would begin on Thorpe Road and would include the installation of a new pump station for surface water to the south of the site to improve drainage. "While the vast majority of the work will be carried out off road, there will be times of traffic management on Thorpe Road and Station Road, although disruption will be kept to a minimum," a council spokesperson McMaster said the new link road would "significantly improve connectivity and ease congestion, giving HGV traffic a different route to avoid the town centre, for the benefit of both motorists, residents and businesses in Howden".Louise Pavitt, managing director of Aureos Highways, said: "We are delighted to be supporting East Riding of Yorkshire Council on the Howden Relief Road scheme."This project is a critical step towards economic development in the region and will provide much needed highways improvements, opening up new routes and easing scheme is funded by local housing developers and the authority via government grants totalling £ for the relief road was approved by the authority's planning committee in June 2023 as part of proposals to build 1,900 homes, a school and a pub. Listen to highlights from Hull and East Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
BBC News
10-06-2025
- Politics
- BBC News
Spalding's £50m 'bridge to nowhere' not a waste of cash
A £50m "bridge to nowhere" is not a waste of taxpayers' money, insists the council group that backed the original bridge, outside Spalding in Lincolnshire, was completed in 2024 and was meant to be a relief road easing congestion on the western side of the town, but its other sections have not been built and are still awaiting government Conservative group, which lost control of the county council to Reform UK in May, insisted the bridge was part of plans to build and access new houses in the Rob Gibson, recently appointed deputy leader of the authority, said leaving a road half-built was "not acceptable". Work started on what has been dubbed by media and politicians as the "bridge to nowhere" in 2022 and, along with the northern section of the £110m relief road, was completed two years funding for the middle and southern sections of the road has not been June 2023, it was announced work on the relief road had been delayed until 2030 due to a "turbulent three years marked by increased costs due to Covid, rising inflation rates and the current economic climate".The Conservatives claim they have been unfairly criticised for originally managing the project, and still believe the bridge will eventually be linked Richard Davies, who was the council's transport portfolio holder before Reform UK won last month's local election, said: "Our plan was always to do it in sections and take advantage of funding when it became available."The local councils were all involved (in the decision), some of whom are now senior in the Reform leadership."There is money to complete this and I think it will come." Having criticised the previous Conservative administration's failure to complete the relief road, the new Reform UK-led county council is promising to move the scheme added: "One of the first things we're doing is looking at all of the county's road projects with a fresh set of eyes."Leaving a road half-built isn't acceptable and waiting years and years to finish a project as important as the Spalding Western Relief Road is frustrating and unfair to local people."Spalding is also at the heart of the UK's food and flower industry, and there has been pressure from businesses to improve road infrastructure around the south of the county in order to connect it to the there are no firm commitments to do that but the newly elected county council is promising to work with new mayor Andrea Jenkyns to see "what the future could be".Dame Andrea said: "Lincolnshire has been ignored by government for too long when it comes to funding the infrastructure our residents and businesses want and need."Routes around the south of the county are strategically important, particularly for our food and farming sector. "I'll be using my role as mayor to make sure the roads and other projects we need get the national recognition and funding they deserve." Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
