Highways Agency
Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers
Introduction
In 1998 the Government published 'A New deal for Trunk Roads in England' and identified the A45/A46 Tollbar End as a key junction suffering serious congestion.
An interim improvement measure at Tollbar End with new traffic signals was completed in 2000. This has proved successful in reducing queues and delays. However, the objective of this was to provide relief in the short term and the junction is predicted to become seriously congested by the year 2005. In fact monitoring of the junction in the last year indicates that this will occur sooner.
This information outlines the three long term improvement options being proposed and summarises their key features and the likely effects.
These will be shown at a Public Exhibition local to Tollbar End. The purpose of the exhibition is to inform the public and local business interests and provide the opportunity to express an opinion on the proposals.
The Need for the Scheme
The Need for the Scheme
The A45 between Stivichall and Tollbar End junction carries 59,000 vehicles per day. This, together with high flows on the A46 from the north (48,000 vehicles per day) and the A45 (Ryton) (43,000 vehicles per day) imposes a severe burden on the junction roundabout. Congestion and delays result at peak hours on all these approaches to the roundabout. In the future, as traffic flows increase and Local Plan development along the A45 and A46 corridors takes place this situation will worsen. Improvement Scheme Options have been designed to alleviate and provide a junction that can operate safely and without serious congestion well into the future.
What are the Proposed Options?
Three possible improvement options have been developed following careful consideration of traffic flows derived from an extensive forecasting exercise using a traffic model of the junction based on information from a comprehensive data collection traffic survey. Each Option achieves or gets close to achieving the primary objective of managing the predicted 35% increase in traffic passing through Tollbar End in 2020.
A "Comparison of Route Options" table and plan showing the three options can be found towards the end of this brochure.
Green Option. Underpass at Tollbar End from A46 Coventry Bypass to A45 Stonebridge Highway plus a new A45/A46 Link
Green Option. Underpass at Tollbar End from A46 Coventry Bypass to A45 Stonebridge Highway plus a new A45/A46 Link
Roundabout reconstruction with A45 Stonebridge Highway to A46 passing beneath plus new link roads from A46 to A45 (London Road) and through to Siskin Drive.
The roundabout would encroach on land adjacent to the B4110 London Road, the adjacent retail store car park, and land towards Rowley Road. Movements between A45 to A46 would be via a dual two-lane underpass beneath the edge of the roundabout and connecting roads. New links from the A46 would connect with the A45 at a new signalised junction. The extension into Middlemarch Business Park ends with a new roundabout on Siskin Drive. With this scheme option widening of A45 Stonebridge Highway to dual three lanes is a requirement to cope with joining / leaving traffic from the roundabouts at Tollbar End and Stivichall Interchange. Changes to Stivichall roundabout, with some traffic signals, are also needed.
| SCHEME OPTION | Traffic | Design / Construction | Environment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GREEN | Provides most traffic relief to Tollbar End junction Journey time reliability improved Retains most existing movements with some minor diversions Access to Brandon Lane is restricted Pedestrian / Cycle links maintained Flexibility to incorporate bus priorities Provides secondary access to Middlemarch Business Park, Coventry Airport Removes Rowley Road / Siskin Drive roundabout junction | Substantial traffic management would be required throughout construction period Underpass to be constructed in tunnel under roundabout Requires substantial diversion of public utilities services Up to 45 metre wide strip of land between A45 London Road and A46 Coventry Eastern Bypass, and between A45 London Road and Siskin Drive would be required Land would probably be required from allotments, properties on B4110 London Road, and the Orchard Retail Park May require residential property demolition | Noise | Overall improvement achieved with around 60 less people annoyed by road traffic noise with scheme than without the scheme |
| Air Quality | Significant improvement in air quality at 100 properties with a significant worsening at around 160 properties. Provides the largest reduction in pollutant weighted properties | |||
| Greenhouse Gases | Generates the lowest increase in greenhouse gas emissions | |||
| Landscape | Moderate negative impact on vegetation along A45 / A46. Overall moderate landscape and visual impact | |||
| Ambience | Reduced stress for some road users by avoiding Tollbar roundabout, but offset by new link road junctions. Link road will provide countryside views. Overall medium impact | |||
| Townscape | Features are typical and not particularly valued. Neutral in impact | |||
| Biodiversity | Slight negative impact on conservation sites including Stonebridge Meadows, River Stowe, Coventry Nature Conservation Site and Warwickshire Ecosite. Potential intermediate negative impact on protected species, but could be minimised by mitigation | |||
| Heritage | Impact on remains of Ryton Bridge, a listed building. Otherwise neutral impact | |||
| Water | Could affect the Rivers Avon, Sowe and Sherbourne - risk of pollution and impact on the floodplain | |||
| Physical Fitness | Additional scope for provision for pedestrian / cyclists at junctions. Overall impact neutral | |||
Green option. underpass at tollbar end from a46 coventry bypass to a45 stonebridge highway plus a new a45/a46 link
Green Option. Underpass at Tollbar End from A46 Coventry Bypass to A45 Stonebridge Highway plus a new A45/A46 Link | Back
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Purple option. underpass at tollbar end from a45 london road to a45 stonebridge highway plus a new a45/a46 link
Purple Option. Underpass at Tollbar End from A45 London Road to A45 Stonebridge Highway plus a new A45/A46 Link
Roundabout reconstruction including 2 bridges with the A45 to A45 passing through at a lower level. New link roads from the A46 to A45 (London Road) and through to Siskin Drive.
The roundabout would encroach on property on either side of the A45 London Road, east of Tollbar Junction. The A45 Stonebridge Highway to A45 London Road would be at a lower level with two new bridges carrying the roundabout above. The A46 to A45 link road would connect with the A45 at a signalised junction and the Middlemarch extension would end at the roundabout on Siskin Drive. This option also requires widening the A45 Stonebridge Highway to dual three lanes and modifications to the Stivichall Roundabout as in Green Option.
| SCHEME OPTION | Traffic | Design / Construction | Environment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PURPLE | Journey time reliability improved Retains most existing movements with some minor diversions Access to Brandon Lane is restricted Pedestrian / Cycle links maintained, albeit with some diversions Flexibility to incorporate bus priorities Provides secondary access to Middlemarch Business Park, Coventry Airport Removes Rowley Road / Siskin Drive roundabout junction | Substantial traffic management would be required throughout construction period Underpass to be constructed with bridges under roundabout Requires substantial diversion of public utilities services Up to 45 metre wide strip of land between A45 London Road and A46 Coventry Eastern Bypass, and between A45 London Road and Siskin Drive would be required Residential and business property affected on both sides of A45 Requires residental and commercial property demolition | Noise | Overall improvement achieved with around 60 less people annoyed by road traffic noise with scheme than without the scheme |
| Air Quality | Significant improvement in air quality at 100 properties with a significant worsening at around 160 properties. Reduces the number of weighted properties, but to a lesser level than Green Option | |||
| Greenhouse Gases | Slightly Higher increase in greenhouse gas emissions compared to Green Option | |||
| Landscape | Moderate negative impact on vegetation along A45 / A46. Overall moderate landscape and visual impact | |||
| Ambience | Reduced stress for some road users by avoiding Tollbar roundabout, but offset by new link road junctions. Link road will provide countryside views. Overall medium impact | |||
| Townscape | Features are typical and not particularly valued. Neutral in impact | |||
| Biodiversity | Slight negative impact on conservation sites including Stonebridge Meadows, River Stowe, Coventry Nature Conservation Site and Warwickshire Ecosite. Potential intermediate negative impact on protected species, but could be minimised by mitigation | |||
| Heritage | Impact on remains of Ryton Bridge, a listed building. Otherwise neutral impact | |||
| Water | Could affect the Rivers Avon, Sowe and Sherbourne - risk of pollution and impact on the floodplain | |||
| Physical Fitness | Additional scope for provision for pedestrian / cyclists at junctions. Overall impact neutral | |||
Purple option. underpass at tollbar end from a45 london road to a45 stonebridge highway plus a new a45/a46 link
Purple Option. Underpass at Tollbar End from A45 London Road to A45 Stonebridge Highway plus a new A45/A46 Link | Back
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Yellow option. ground level
Yellow Option. Ground Level
This option would involve constructing new sections of road from the B4110 London Road, around the retail park to the A46 Coventry Eastern Bypass, a new link between the A46 and A45 and to Middlemarch Business Park, and a link road from Rowley Road to London Road passing under the existing A45 Stonebridge Highway. This option requires the widening of part of the A45 Stonebridge Highway to three lanes and traffic signalisation of Stivichall interchange.
| SCHEME OPTION | Traffic | Design / Construction | Environment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| YELLOW | Journey time reliability improved All existing movements retained with some substantial diversions Pedestrian / Cycle links maintained Flexibility to incorporate bus priorities Provides secondary access to Middlemarch Business Park, Coventry Airport More junction conflict points | Traffic management relatively insubstantial throughout construction period Diversion of public utilities services relatively insubstantial Up to 45 metre wide strip of land between A45 London Road and A46 Coventry Eastern Bypass, and between A45 London Road and Siskin Drive would be required Up to 15 metre strip of land between B4110 London Road and A46 Coventry Eastern Bypass, and between B4110 London Road and Siskin Drive would be required Relatively high land take Requires commercial property demolition | Noise | Overall improvement achieved with around 30 less people annoyed by road traffic noise with scheme than without the scheme |
| Air Quality | Significant improvement at around 100 properties with a significant worsening at 320 properties. Although the number of pollutant weighted properties reduced, the improvement is not as great as Green or Purple Options | |||
| Greenhouse Gases | Generates highest increase in greenhouse gas emissions due to new link roads | |||
| Landscape | Slight negative impact and moderate negative visual impact on properties north of Tollbar | |||
| Ambience | Reduced stress for some road users by avoiding Tollbar roundabout, but offset by new link road junctions. Link road will provide countryside views. Overall medium impact | |||
| Townscape | Features are typical and not particularly valued. Neutral in impact | |||
| Biodiversity | Slight negative impact on conservation sites including Stonebridge Meadows, River Stowe, Coventry Nature Conservation Site and Warwickshire Ecosite. Potential intermediate negative impact on protected species, but could be minimised by mitigation | |||
| Heritage | Impact on remains of Ryton Bridge, a listed building | |||
| Water | Could affect the Rivers Avon, Sowe and Sherbourne - risk of pollution and impact on the floodplain | |||
| Physical Fitness | Additional scope for provision for pedestrian / cyclists at junctions. Overall impact slight improvement | |||
Yellow option. ground level
Yellow Option. Ground Level | Back
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Comparison of Route Cost / Effects
Comparison of Route Cost / Effects
| Scheme Option | Economics | Proximit of Properties to Option | Landtake Hectares (acres) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction cost (inc Land) £m | Safety Benefits | Journey Time Benefits | Number of Residential properties within | Number of Commercial and Community Interests within | ||||
| 0-50m | 50-300m | 0-50m | 50-300m | |||||
| Green | 33 | Good | V.Good | 99 | 778 | 24 | 31 | 12.0 |
| Purple | 31.5 | Good | V.Good | 77 | 765 | 28 | 26 | 13.0 |
| Yellow | 17.6 | Moderate | Good | 150 | 493 | 16 | 17 | 9.25 |
Key Events
Key Events
The diagram below shows the stage that we have reached and the sequence of future key events. The timing of future key events will depend on the satisfactory completion of the statutory procedures including a Public Inquiry, if one is needed.
Other Options Considered
Other Options Considered
Four other options were considered. These were:
- Underpass at Tollbar End from A46 Coventry Bypass to A45 Stonebridge Highway but without a new A45/A46 Link
- Underpass at Tollbar End from A45 London Road to A45 Stonebridge Highway but without a new A45/A46 Link
- New link Road from A45 to A46
- Separate A46 link from A46 south of Stivichall interchange to Tollbar End junction plus A45 underpass at Tollbar End junction (Original 1992 proposal).
All these options have been rejected at an early stage because they do not provide sufficient traffic relief to Tollbar End junction and thus fail to meet the scheme objectives in year 2020. The last option was also rejected because it caused substantial adverse environmental impact over a wide area.
Exhibition Details
Exhibition Details
Exhibitions of the proposals will be held at:
The Chace Hotel
London Road
Tollbar End
Coventry
15 November 2001, 3:00pm to 9:00pm
16 November 2001, 10:00am to 8:00pm
Representatives of the Highways Agency and their consulting engineers, White Young Green, will be present to explain the proposals and answer questions.
Your Views and What Happens Next
You are invited to let us know your views by completing the Comment Form, or the PDF form that you can complete, print out, and send to us at the address below. The closing date for comments is 15 February 2002. The comments received will be processed and a summary of views received will be included in the final scheme report. The full results of the Appraisal of Options will be considered by the Regional Planning Body and their recommendations will be then forwarded to the Departmant of Transport, Local Government and the Regions for a decision on the scheme.
Send completed forms to:-
The Highways Agency
Room D4
Broadway
Broad Street
Birmingham
B15 1HP
For Information Contact:
John Dutson
Project Sponsor
Operations Directorate
Highways Agency
Broadway
Broad Street
Birmingham B15 1BL
0121 678 8361
Further Information
Copies of the Options Report may be inspected at the exhibitions or during office hours at the following deposit locations:
| Coventry City Council Information Desk City Development Directorate Tower Block Much Park Street Coventry CV1 2PY |
Rugby Borough Council Technical Services Reception Town Hall Evreux Way Rugby CV21 2DT |
Warwick District Council Planning Department Riverside House Milverton Hill Leamington Spa CV32 5QH |
| Warwickshire County Council Shire Hall Warwick CV34 3SX |
Willenhall Library 192 Rememberance Road Willenhall Coventry CV3 3DN |
Highways Agency Room D4, Broadway Broad Street Birmingham B15 1BL |
Location Map
Location Map
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COPYRIGHT (c) Crown copyright all rights reserved GD 272663.2001.
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Your Say...
Your Say...
This consultation is now closed.
Please contact HAIL for more information