Highways Agency - Safe roads, Reliable journeys, Informed travellers

Traffic Management

The latest schedule of closures and restrictions is available from the Traffic Management page in the right hand menu.

Update

Construction work started on 17 March 2008 and is currently on programme to be completed in Summer 2010. The work is being undertaken in two phases: Phase 1 of the project, the A46 bypass of junction 15, was opened to northbound traffic on Monday 14th December, and southbound traffic in the early hours of Tuesday 15th December, following a ceremony on site attended by Transport Minister Chris Mole.

Phase 2 of the work, which includes motorway slip road improvements and widening and upgrading the existing roundabout at junction 15, will further reduce congestion at this busy junction. The next sections to be fully opened to traffic will be new dedicated lanes bypassing the junction 15 roundabout in February 2010. The dedicated lanes will be for traffic between A46 southbound and M40 northbound and between M40 southbound and A46 northbound.

Further details of how work is progressing can be found on the Scheme Progress page. A plan of the published route and the latest progress photographs can be found on the Photo Gallery and Aerial Plan page. We also publish a quarterly newsletter which is delivered to local residents and contains details of the works, including traffic management restrictions, over the coming three months. These newsletters are available to download from the Publications page.

The Project

The new proposals would form a dual carriageway bypass of the M40 Junction 15, allowing vehicles travelling on the A46 to avoid this busy junction. The bypass would be routed to the west of the junction and connect to the existing A46, north and south of the motorway.

The northern connection between the new bypass and the A46 Warwick Bypass would be a two level free flow link. A new 4 span bridge would be built to take the new dual carriageway over the M40 motorway. The southern connection between the new dual carriageway and the A46 Stratford road would be a roundabout, which would also provide access to the B4463 and M40 Junction 15. The roundabout would include underpasses to allow the safe movement of farm vehicles and non-motorised users under the A46.

The existing M40 Junction 15 roundabout would be widened to 4 lanes, the approaches to the roundabout would be improved, and new traffic lights installed. The signing, road markings, road lighting and road pavement would be updated to improve safety and driver understanding. The proposals would also include earth mounding, noise fencing, landscaping and improved drainage measures to minimise the effects on the surrounding area.

Why The Improvement is Needed?

• The M40 Junction15 roundabout forms an important interchange for traffic using the M40, A46 Stratford Road, A46 Warwick Bypass and A429 Warwick Road. The A46 is part of the national strategic road network, providing the main link to Coventry, the M1 and the M6.
• The M40 Junction 15 carries around 75,000 vehicles per day, which causes significant delays, contributing to queues building up on the approaches to the roundabout. This includes increasing queue lengths on the M40 exit slips, which raises the potential for high-speed accidents on the M40.
• Continued traffic growth will exacerbate this situation leading to increased driver stress and potentially an increased number of accidents on the roundabout.
• In the past four years, there have been a total of sixty eight reported accidents involving injuries to one hundred and five people within the scheme area.
• The improvements built in 2003/2004 (though producing excellent short-term benefits) are already starting to show signs of stress as traffic levels have increased.