Highways Agency

Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Introduction

The Highways Agency is proposing to widen the A500 at Stoke-on-Trent, between the B5045 Shelton New Road and the A50. The proposals involve the replacement of the existing roundabouts at the A5006, Stoke Road and the A5007, City Road, with underpasses. Improvements are also proposed to the Trent and Mersey Canal, the River Trent, Fowlea Brook and Whieldon Road.

This brochure explains the proposals and summarises the Environmental Statement in non-technical language.

Project Background and Previous Options Considered

The A500, known locally as the Potteries “D” Road is a dual carriageway with two lanes in each direction, which joins the M6 motorway at either end at Junctions 15 and 16. Most junctions on the A500 have flyovers or underpasses except for the roundabouts at Stoke Road and City Road, which form the central section of the “D” Road.

This section of the A500 known as Queensway was constructed over a period of 3 years starting in December 1974 and was originally intended to have the A500 passing over Stoke Road on a flyover and beneath City Road in an underpass. However the underpass and flyover were omitted and roundabouts built instead.

In August 1993, a proposal was published to add the flyover at Stoke Road and the underpass at City Road and to widen the section of road between them. Before publication an alternative proposal, with an underpass at Stoke Road junction, had been considered but was rejected on the grounds of cost. Further development of the project was then suspended during a review of the road programme by the Government.

The project was announced in the Targeted Programme of Improvements in 1998 as the A500 Stoke Pathfinder Project. The current proposals, illustrated on the fold out plan, at the back of this leaflet include underpasses at both City Road and Stoke Road junctions and have been developed by Edmund Nuttall Ltd, who are the design and build contractor appointed by the Highways Agency.

Why the Scheme is needed

The prime objective of the A500 Stoke Pathfinder Project is to assist with the economic regeneration of Stoke-on-Trent, by relieving congestion on the A500 at the busy Stoke Road and City Road Junctions.

This section of the A500 suffers severe traffic congestion particularly during the rush hour with long queues at both roundabouts. Traffic levels have increased greatly since they were built. The A500 corridor is difficult to cross for people on foot, or by cyclists and divides important parts of the City such as Stoke town centre, the railway station and university. The subways at Stoke Road and City Road are particularly poor. The existing bridges and walls are unattractive and have an adverse effect on the town environment, the River Trent and the Trent and Mersey Canal.

Scheme Objectives

The main objectives of the scheme are:

• To reduce congestion at Stoke Road and City Road junctions on the A500, to ensure that the project is compatible with Stoke City Council’s transport proposals contained in their Local Transport Plan and supports their objectives for regeneration and employment.
• To assist in the creation of a transport system which encourages access by the most appropriate form of transport, including pedestrians and cyclists, to development sites and generally within the city area.
• To provide an environmentally acceptable scheme which protects and enhances the built and natural environment.
• To improve safety for all road users.
• To improve access across the A500 trunk road for pedestrians, cyclists and public transport and in particular to facilitate access to Stoke-on-Trent Railway Station and Stoke town centre.

Summary of the Proposals

The proposals are illustrated on the plan below.

New Junctions

It is planned to remove the existing roundabouts and construct new underpasses at Stoke Road and City Road and hence remove the congestion currently experienced by through traffic and local road users. The line of the A500 at both junctions would be significantly below existing ground level. The underpasses would be more compact than the existing roundabouts. New bridges would provide direct links across the A500 at a similar level to the existing roundabouts. Both bridges would include priority measures for buses and improved access for pedestrians and cyclists. At Stoke Road, the canal would be realigned to follow its original 18th Century route. At City Road the River Trent would be taken out of culvert and run in an open channel.

Shelton New Road to Stoke Road

This section of A500 would be widened to three lanes in each direction with on and off slip roads at the Stoke Road and Shelton New Road junctions. The level of the A500 would be similar to existing. A small amount of land would be required on the western side of the A500 to build the improvements near to Stoke Road, including a new open channel for the Fowlea Brook.

This section of A500 would remain as two lanes in each direction, but would be rebuilt within the area of land that currently forms the wide central reservation. For the most part the level of the A500 would be similar to the existing road, but on the approach to each underpass the level would be reduced to go below existing ground level. The existing A500 carriageways would be converted into new link roads running between Stoke Road and City Road either side of the new A500. Sections of the link roads approaching the two junctions would be reduced in level enabling the canalside retaining wall between Stoke Road and Glebe Street to be lowered in height. Motorists travelling north on the link road from City Road would be able to join the A500 using a new slip road situated just south of Glebe Street bridge. Similarly, motorists travelling south on the link road from Stoke Road would be able to join the A500 by another slip road. The existing bridge at Glebe Street would be retained unchanged.

City Road to A50

New link roads would be built on either side of the A500 between City Road and Whieldon Road and new slip roads provided south of Whieldon Road to connect these to the A500. The existing underpass taking Whieldon Road under the A500 would be retained. The River Trent, currently in a culvert, would be opened up to follow a new course west of the A500. A small amount of land near Cornawallis Street and Maclagan Street would need to be acquired for this, but no houses would be taken. The A500 would be widened to three lanes in each direction within the existing road boundary from Whieldon Road to the A50 junction, at a similar level to the existing road.

Measures Taken to Reduce Environmental Effects

The works would include the following measures illustrated below:

A500 Stoke Pathfinder Project (2MB PDF)

 

Section A - A1 Ch1660m (80KB PDF)

 

Section B - B1 Ch2020m (80KB PDF)

 

Section C - C1 Ch2480m (80KB PDF)

Section D - D1 Ch2820m (80KB PDF)

• Treatment of the A500 carriageways and link roads with a low noise surface throughout the scheme.
• New environmental barriers to improve noise and visual screening and the replacement of the existing barrier which overshadows housing in the Cornwallis Maclagan Street area, south of City Road junction, with a less intrusive structure.
• Placing sections of the A500 and the main traffic flow below existing ground level at the Stoke Road and City Road Junctions.
• Improvements to the visual appearance of the road corridor to include new tree and shrub planting. New and existing structures which are to be kept to be treated with high quality materials such as brick and ceramics.
• Creation of a new open channel for the River Trent at City Road and between Woodhouse Street and the existing Whieldon Road bridge. This would be designed to enhance conditions for fish and other wildlife and would replace existing culverts.
• Provision of a new open channel to the Fowlea Brook to the north of Stoke Road junction as replacement to existing culvert and enhancement of the existing open channel at Stoke Road junction to improve its appearance and benefit wildlife.
• Provision of a new, landscaped, riverside footpath and cycleway adjacent to the new open channel of the River Trent.
• Realignment of the Trent and Mersey Canal at Stoke Road junction to approximately its historic line before the A500 was first constructed.
• Enhancement of the Trent and Mersey Canal Conservation Area with a reduction in the number of bridges spanning the canal, brick cladding to existing concrete walls, height reduction for the wall between Stoke Road and Glebe Street, improved pedestrian and cyclist access, improved screening from the A500, new paving, new tree and shrub planting, new lighting, additional signs and the provision of seating.
• Enhancement of St Peter’s Churchyard Conservation Area with the provision of new planting and the realignment of Church Street footpath to its original location outside the churchyard boundary wall.
• A newly accessible area of public open space created alongside Fowlea Brook, between Liverpool Road and Shelton Old Road.
• New lighting along the road corridor designed to minimise light spillage outside the highway boundary.
• Improved access for pedestrians and cyclists across the A500. The existing subways would be closed and demolished and replaced with new, safer and direct crossing points provided across the new bridges at Stoke Road and City Road. New routes to be treated with high quality paving and landscaping, including an avenue of trees planted along the realigned Church Street/City Road. Also new seating, and a co-ordinated system of signs for pedestrians and cyclists.

Environmental Effects

Existing environmental features are shown on the plan above.

The A500 is generally perceived as having an environment of low quality, with problems of traffic congestion adding to air pollution and high levels of noise and visual intrusion from road traffic, particularly for local residents and pedestrians. The existing road and its structures are unattractive and have an adverse impact upon nearby Conservation Areas such as St Peter’s churchyard and the Trent and Mersey Canal. Links for pedestrians and cyclists across the A500 are poor. Sections of the Fowlea Brook and River Trent in culvert result in a poor environment for wildlife and in the case of the Trent, deter the migration of species upstream. The traffic congestion and poor environmental quality of the road corridor are considered to act as a constraint on regeneration and employment opportunities for Stoke-on-Trent.

The environmental benefits associated with the Scheme include:

• Reduced traffic congestion and improved safety for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists.
• Reduced visual intrusion for some dwellings, open spaces and the canal corridor as a result of additional environmental barriers.
• Reduced visual intrusion as a result of reducing the level of the road, with the A500 in underpass at Stoke Road and City Road junctions and reducing the height of the link roads and slip roads compared to the existing carriageway levels.
• Townscape enhancement particularly in the vicinity of the junctions at Stoke Road and City Road.
• Improved views from the road corridor as a result of new tree and shrub planting, removal of many existing, unattractive road structures and enhancement of retaining walls, which are to be kept.
• Enhancement for wildlife, particularly as a result of opening up lengths of the River Trent and Fowlea Brook with new channels designed to improve habitats for fish and otters.
• Improved pollution controls to the River Trent with the introduction of oil interceptors and settlement ponds to the road drainage.
• Improvements for Built Heritage with the enhancement of The Trent and Mersey Canal and St Peter’s Churchyard, both Conservation Areas, and reductions in visual impact for several Listed Buildings and Buildings of Special Local Interest.
• Improved accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists with direct, segregated routes, protected from traffic across the A500 at City Road and Stoke Road, replacing the existing indirect, shared pedestrian/cyclist routes and subways.
• Reduced air pollution at some dwellings.

The proposals would have some, mainly slight, adverse environmental impacts relative to the existing situation but these would be outweighed by the environmental benefits described above.

• The majority of properties within 300m of the A500 would experience some increase in noise.
• The loss of semi-mature tree planting within the existing wide central reservation and at the centre of the roundabouts, which would be mitigated by the provision of new tree and shrub planting wherever space allows.
• A barely perceptible, short-term increase in visual impact for a small number of properties, which would be mitigated in the long term by the growth of screen planting.
• Local air pollution would reduce after the road works have been completed compared to existing levels. However pollution levels with the proposals are predicted to be marginally higher within and adjacent to the road corridor than they would have been without them although no dwelling would experience adverse effects.
• The potential disturbance of archaeological remains for example former pottery workings. An archaeologist would be on hand during construction to monitor and record any findings.
• Slight increases in flood levels to the Fowlea Brook at Stoke Road junction and in the vicinity of Leason Street. Any further risk of flooding would be removed by increasing the height of flood protection structures.
• Some noise disturbance, disruption to the canal and temporary disruption to both local and through roads and to pedestrian and cyclist access during the construction phase.
• The disturbance of some ground contaminated by Stoke’s industrial past, including heavy metals and oils. Any such material would be safely removed to a licensed waste disposal site.
• Small amounts of land would be required for minor road changes at Stoke Road and City Road junctions, a new exit slip road to the south of Whieldon Road, a new open channel to the River Trent south of City Road, and a new open channel to the Fowlea Brook north of Stoke Road junction. Nearly all land-take would be from vacant development land although there would be a requirement to demolish two domestic garages.

Topic	Effects of Scheme	Assessment
Integration	Land-Use Policy: The scheme supports a large majority of land use and transport policies affecting Stoke-on-Trent at national, regional and local levels. Increases in noise levels would not accord with national planning policy guidance which seeks to reduce the impact of noise from new development. Otherwise the scheme is consistent with policy at national or regional level. A minor loss of development land would not fit with local policies but this is more than outweighed by the potential benefits of the scheme for development. The scheme as a whole is consistent with other government policies outside transport.	'Beneficial'
Noise	The proposals would increase the road traffic capacity and consequently noise levels are generally predicted to increase. Mitigation in the form of environmental barriers would reduce the impact. Although some properties and amenity areas would experience a reduction in noise the majority of properties and some amentity areas within the study area would experience perceptible increases in noise.	'Adverse'
Air Quality	Local air pollution would reduce after the road works have been completed compared to existing levels. However pollution levels with the proposals are predicted to be marginally higher within and adjacent to the road corridor than they would have been without them although no dwelling would experience adverse effects.	'Neutral'
Townscape and Visual Impact	Visual intrusion would be reduced as a result of improved screening and reductions in the level of the road, including the provision of underpasses at Stoke Road and City Road junctions. The overall townscape would also benefit as a result of: restoration of characteristic features of the town such as the River Trent and the Trent and Mersey canal. a reduction in the scale of the road junctions and existing structures. improved design of new and existing structures and use of better quality finishes.	'Large Beneficial' (Positive) Effect
Built Heritage	The study area contains 3 Conservation Areas of local and regional importance and several listed buildings. The scheme would result in a 'moderate beneficial' effect on the Trent and Mersey Canal Conservation Area, a 'slight beneficial' effect on St Peter's Churchyard Conservation Area and some listed buildings and a 'neutral' effect on Winton Square Conservation Area.	'Slight Beneficial' (Positive) Effect
Archaeology	The study area contains one Scheduled Ancient Monument, the Saxon cross in the Churchyard, 4 sites of regional/local importance, including the churchyard, canal and the former imperial pottery works and 36 sites of local importance. The scheme would have a 'slight beneficial' effect on 12 sites, a 'moderately adverse' impact on the Imperial pottery works if anything remains, a 'slight adverse' effect on 8 locally important sites and a 'neutral' effect on the rest.	'Neutral'
Geology and Soils	There are no designated geological sites within the study area and no soils are used for agricultral purposes. Approximately 165 000 m3 of materials would be removed from the site to licensed landfills, including pproximately 40 000 m3 of contaminated material. Within the road corridor, removal of contaminated soil and the increase in hard cover would reduce human, plant and animal exposure to contaminated soils and reduce the potential of contaminating water resources.	'Neutral'
The Water Environment	Flood Risk - there would be no change to flood risk from the River Trent except a negligible decrease in flood risk upstream of the canal. There would be no change to flood risk for most of the Fowlea Brook except a negligible increase at two locations, which would be mitigated where necessary.	'Neutral'
The Water Environment	Water Quality - the scheme would result in the following improvements: Removal of long stretches of the River Trent and Fowlea Brook from culvert and design to improve water aeration. Introduction of oil interceptors, spillage containment and reed beds to control pollution from road runoff. A500 drainage would no longer outfall to the Trent and Mersey Canal. Replacement of roundabouts with underpasses reduces the probability of a serious accidental spillage to acceptable levels. The road drainage system would not have any connectivity to groundwater.	'Slight Beneficial'
Biodiversity	The study area includes several areas of 'negligible' to 'lower' biodiversity value (including Fowlea Brook and the Trent and Mersey Canal), and three areas of 'medium' value (including the river Trent, Trentside Pool and Hartshill Park). Trentside Pool and Hartshill Park have been designated as Areas of Wildlife Interest by Stoke-on-trent city Council. Trentside Pool and Hartshill Park would not be affected by the proposals and the overall effects on the canal would be neutral. The River Trent and Fowlea Brook would benefit from reductions in the length of culverts and habitat creation.	'Minor Gain'
Accessibility	The scheme would improve accessibility over the A500 and severance would be reduced for pedestrians, especially the disabled, elderly and children. Cyclists would experience a beneficial impact.	'Moderate Beneficial' Effect
Physical Fitness	The scheme would encourage both walking and cycling over the A500 and along the canal towpath.	'Beneficial'
Journey Ambience	Traveller care would improve as a result of reduced traffic congestion, improved road layout, improved navigation on the Trent and Mersey Canal and improved links for pedestrians and cyclists. Traveller stress would reduce due to separation of through traffic from local traffic and a co-ordinated system of direction signs. The proposals would also enhance views for pedestrians, cyclists, canal users and drivers on local roads, although views experienced by drivers on the A500 would be more restricted.	'Large Beneficial' Effect
Disruption Due to Construction	The construction period would last approximately two years with the major works concentrated at Stoke Road and City Road junctions. The works would be sequenced to maintain full traffic flow on the A500 and access at all crossings over the A500 would be maintained throughout for pedestrians, cyclists and local vehicle travellers. Construction traffic would be directed away from residential areas and sensitive buildings. Some night time working would be necessary with noise levels to be agreed with Stoke-on-Trent City Council. Work to the River Trent and Fowlea Brook would result in temporary diversions but flows would be maintained to avoid any risk of flooding. Navigation and access to the towpath would be closed on a short section of the Trent and Mersey Canal for a limited period in winter.	Temporary 'Slight Adverse'

Note: Most adjectives used to describe environmental effects and the overall assessment of each issue in the Environmental Statement are in accordance with advice contained in ‘Guidance on the Methodology for Multi-Modal Studies, Published by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions in March 2000.

Further Information

Copies of the full Environmental Statement and other documents may be inspected free of charge during office hours at the following deposit locations:
Copies of the Environmental Statement may be purchased from the Highways Agency at the Birmingham address given in the table below.
The Environmental Statement is priced at £12 for volume 1, £30 for volume 2, and £35 for volume 3.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council Civic Centre Glebe Street Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1RF	Stoke Library London Road Stoke-on-Trent ST4 7QE
The Public Library Bethesda Street Hanley Stoke-on-Trent ST1 2LH	Stoke Approach Drop-in Centre Church Street Stoke-on-Trent ST4 1BL
Highways Agency, Q (IM), Room G44 St Christopher House Southwark Street London SE1 0TE
Highways Agency D4, Broadway Broad Street Birmingham B15 1BL	You can also visit the scheme at: www.highways.gov.uk Or telephone the Highways Agency on: 0121 678 8080

Exhibition Details

Exhibitions of the proposals were held at the Pavilion Restaurant, Staffordshire University, College Road, Stoke-on-Trent at the following times:-

Thursday 11th April - 2pm - 8pm
Friday 12th April - 10am - 8pm
Saturday 13th April 10am - 4pm

You are invited to attend

Your Views

Anyone wishing to comment on the scheme and its environmental aspects should write to:-

Highways Agency
D4, Broadway,
Broad Street,
Birmingham,
B15 1BL

by Wednesday 8th May 2002

What happens next

Only after considering all comments and representations will the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions decide whether to proceed with the Scheme as proposed. Depending on the nature of the comments and representations a Public Inquiry before an Independent Inspector may be held. If the Secretary of State decides to proceed with the project a copy of the letter announcing the decision will be sent to those who comment on the proposals. Subject to this procedure, the earliest anticipated starting date for construction would be Spring 2003 with a construction period of approximately two years.