Highways Agency

The Project

The A46 is an important regional trunk road connecting the East and West Midlands. The section between Widmerpool and Newark carries between 16200 and 25300 vehicles per day, of which up to 15% are heavy goods vehicles. This level of traffic gives rise to frequent congestion and delay.

The existing A46 is generally straight and undulating as it follows the line of the old Roman Road - Fosse Way. This can make safe overtaking difficult and it is made worse by many junctions and accesses to fields, farms and houses. The road has a poor safety record - in the five years between 2001 and 2005 there have been 13 fatal, 56 serious and 222 slight accidents.

Bridleways and footpaths join and cross this section of the A46 but walkers, cyclists and horse-riders find it difficult to cross because of the traffic.

The Proposals

The Highways Agency propose a new 28km long two-lane dual carriageway from the A606 two level junction at Widmerpool to an improved roundabout at Farndon, just south of Newark.

The improvement would reduce congestion, improve safety and provide a bypass for East Stoke and Farndon.

New two level junctions would be provided at Roehoe, Owthorpe, Stragglethorpe, Saxondale, Margidunum, Red Lodge, Flintham and Lodge Lane.

Each carriageway would consist of two traffic lanes with a vertical concrete safety barrier along the whole length of the central reserve. We would surface the carriageways using low noise surfacing to minimise tyre noise on the road.

The roundabouts at Stragglethorpe, Saxondale, Margidunum and Farndon would be lit. We would also provide lighting on the new roundabout at the junction between Lodge Lane and the existing A46.

Some sections of the existing A46 would be retained for use by local traffic and some sections would be downgraded for use by cyclists, walkers and horse riders and for private means of access.

In July 2005, the Government sought advice from the East Midlands Regional Assembly on their priorities for local authority transport schemes costing over £5m and schemes on trunk roads and motorways on the Highways Agency's regional network up to 2015/16.

The Regional Assembly considered the A46 Newark to Widmerpool Improvements as part of that assessment and submitted their views to the Secretary of State for Transport at the end of January 2006.

The Secretary of State considered and accepted the advice from the East Midlands region on its funding priorities. In the light of competing priorities across the East Midlands, he recommended a programme of major schemes to 2015/16 which includes slipping the start of construction of the A46 Newark to Widmerpool Improvement from 2008/09 until 2012/2013.

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Public Inquiry

Further information and documents relating to the Public Inquiry can be found at the Public Inquiry Website. Please not this is an external website.