A1 Elkesley Junctions Improvement
Improvement Scheme
Part of our programme of improvements (generally with value <£10m)
Summer 2012
In November 2011 ministers announced their decision that A1 Elkesley Junctions Improvement scheme should proceed with only minor amendments following a July 2011 public inquiry. The statutory orders under the Highways Act 1980, which give the Highways Agency the powers to build the scheme and acquire the required land, came into force on 16 May 2012.
We have now started the processes to select and appoint a main contractor to complete the design and build the scheme, and we intend inviting expressions of interest from construction companies very shortly. We will also be appointing a consultant to oversee the completion of the design and the construction works. Those selection and appointment processes will take several months to complete, but the work on site may start early in 2013 for completion in 2014.
What is happening?
We are proposing a new junction at Elkesley, with links providing a new local route to Retford avoiding the A1.
The Elkesley scheme does not include any work to the A1/B6387 Twyford Bridge Junction, which will be the subject of separate proposals.
When and where is this happening?
Following the completion of the government's spending review, in March 2011 we announced that we had identified funding for the scheme to be completed by 2014. That funding remains in place, but the scheme is not yet guaranteed to proceed because all trunk road improvements are subject to checks on value for money and affordability before construction starts.
However we aim to let a design and construction contract during 2012, and construction might start early in 2013. We believe construction will take between 15 and 18 months, so the scheme should be complete in 2014. Construction phasing has yet to be worked out, but it is likely that the bridge over the A1 will open to traffic some months before final completion of the works.
We have now started the processes to appoint a contractor to complete the design and construct the scheme, and will be inviting expressins of interest from construction companies. We will also be appointing a consultant to oversee the completion of the design and the construciton works on our behalf. Those selection and appointment processes will take several months to complete.
This scheme will take place on the A1 at Elkesley, near Retford in Nottinghamshire.
Why is this happening and what will it cost?
In October 2002 the Elkesley junctions were identified as one of 92 trunk road sites in England at which improvements should be considered a priority.
Around 43,000 vehicles use the A14 through the East Midlands daily, almost a third of them heavy goods vehicles. Many of the road's junctions, especially those with main roads, are of the two-level type, where local and through traffic are separated, but junctions with many local roads are on a single level with gaps in the central reservation through which traffic turns.
Such junctions have a relatively poor safety record and create a perception of hazard which inhibits their use, causing inconvenience and severance. Elkesley is unusual in having no road access other than from a dual carriageway trunk road. The three A1 junctions at Elkesley do not meet current design standards and are on a single level, requiring right turns to be made across the carriageways to access the village.
Between the start of 2005 and the end of 2009 there were 27 collisions (one fatal, three serious and 23 slight) on the three-mile section of the A1 through Elkesley. This reveals a collision rate of 12.3 per million vehicle miles over the 5 years compared with the national average of 20.1 per million vehicle miles for this type of road.
In 1997-98 we reduced the A1 speed limit for this section and installed speed cameras and road lighting. However the road layout still causes concern and allows no access between the local road network and Elkesley other than by using a short length of the A1. This deters trips, especially on foot, by bicycle and on horseback, and can lead to the village becoming isolated when there are incidents or major maintenance on the A1.
The Elkesley scheme will cost, in total, over £9 million. It will be paid for mainly by the Highways Agency, which is funded by central government, but a contribution of funds will come from the Nottinghamshire County Council.
How will the scheme be carried out?
We held a public consultation in 2005 and over 70 percent of responses came back in favour of Option A, which proposed a new two-level junction northwest of the village. However some people were worried that it would be too near the village.
We presented two variations on Option A at an exhibition in February 2008, which both sited the junction farther northwest of the village than first proposed. In July 2008 the Secretary of State for Transport announced the preferred route for the Elkesley Junctions Improvement.
The proposed scheme includes:
- A new bridge over the A1, linked to Jockey Lane and Coalpit Lane
- A two-level junction northwest of the village with links to Coalpit Lane and Jockey Lane
- The closure of the Jockey Lane/Cross Lane and High Street junctions
- The removal of most private accesses from the A1
Southbound A1 access will be by new slip roads connected to the bridge link at a roundabout. By agreement with Nottinghamshire County Council we intend linking the junction to the village by a new access road parallel to Coalpit Lane. This will avoid the need to widen Coalpit Lane, which we will instead convert to a cul-desac, preserving most of the hedgerow there.
Northbound A1 access will be by new slip roads connected to the parallel access road.
We will keep the A1 junction at Twyford Lane open, but only for access from the northbound A1 into the village. In allowing Twyford Lane to remain open, we will invite the county council to consider introducing a weight limit along Twyford Lane and High Street to ban heavy goods vehicles from using those roads except for loading. As part of the development of proposals for Twyford Bridge junction, we are looking again at whether the Twyford Lane junction should remain open in the longer term as a route into the village.
Once the work at Elkesley is complete, we intend to restore the national speed limit on the A1 from a point northwest of the restaurant near Twyford Lane. A 1-mile (1.6km) section of the A1 southeast of the restaurant, and a further section of the southbound carriageway through Elkesley, will remain subject to a 50mph speed limit until we make improvements at the Twyford Bridge junction.
How will this impact on my journey?
We are still very much at the planning stage of these works, but will add details of how this scheme may impact on your journey when we are closer to the construction phase.
What are the benefits?
This scheme is intended to:
- Improve connections between Elkesley and the local road network
- Improve journey times for all A1 road users
- Make it easier to join or leave the A1
- Improve safety
How do I find out more information?
More information will be posted on this project page as it becomes available. You can subscribe to be alerted when updates are made.
If you have any queries about this project you should contact the Highways Agency Information Line by emailing ha_info@highways.gsi.gov.uk or calling 0300 123 5000.
Leaflet
A1 Elkesley Junctions Improvement - scheme leaflet 22 October 2009
Elkesley Junctions Improvement public exhibition leaflet and public exhibition leaflet maps
A1 Elkesley Junctions Improvement - Map of Proposed Scheme
Preferred Route Statement of the Secretary of State’s Decision following Public Consultation
Legal
The Secretary of State for Transport has made the orders on 12 March 2012 following public inquiry, modifications to the A1 Trunk Road (Elkesley Junctions Improvement Compulsory Purchase) Order (NOD No.5) 2012.
Letter
Scheme Postponement Letter
DfT/DCLG Confirmation of Funding Letter
This letter conveys the Secretaries’ of State decision on the published Orders, following consideration of the Inspector’s report.
Report
Elkesley Stage 3 Report Addendum 2010
Stage 3 Environmental Assessment Report May 2009
Download the Appraisal Summary Table (AST) for the A1 Elkesley Junctions Improvement.
This report presents a summary of the findings from the Public Consultation study and data collected during this phase.
This document is available on the National Archive website. To access this document please follow the link below:
SCHEME DETAILS
What provision is made for pedestrians and cyclists?
There are currently no pedestrian or cycle facilities either across the A1 at the Elkesley junctions or along most parts of the A1 near the village. Those facilities which do exist are discontinuous. The bridge will provide a local road link with a footway across the A1 to Jockey Lane, offering a safer and more pleasant route for pedestrians, cyclists and those riding horses. We will remove the footway beside the A1 between Twyford Lane and the High Street link, which is discontinuous and poorly maintained, and sign the alternative route, via Twyford Lane and High Street, for pedestrians and cyclists.
Won't the new junction encourage rat-running to Retford from the A1?
Possibly, but we believe the scope for that is very limited and we have to balance this risk against the need for better local links as an alternative to the A1. We do not propose including Retford on directional signs from the A1 at Elkesley so through traffic will not be encouraged to use the route along Jockey Lane. The improvements at Apleyhead, Blyth and Markham Moor junctions have greatly reduced the congestion of the A1, and there are already better and more convenient routes to Retford.
What is happening to the lay-bys?
We have to remove the lay-bys both northbound and southbound at Elkesley to build the new junction because current trunk road design standards impose strict limits on where lay-bys can be situated in the interests of safety. The scheme does not provide for their replacement because a study has shown that there are no fully compliant locations locally. It is logical therefore, and in any case a matter of policy, to review lay-by provision on a route basis, taking into account the provision of any larger service or rest areas.
ENVIRONMENT AND LAND
Will the scheme damage the environment?
We have prepared an environmental assessment report to look at possible impacts on air and water quality, noise, cultural heritage, habitats and landscape. A summary table of environmental effects is available on the Publications page. The findings of the environmental assessment will be applied to guide the scheme design to mitigate anticipated impacts on the landscape and the environment. Aside from designing the scheme to minimize visual intrusion, mitigation measures will include drainage basins to allow run-off water to soak into the ground, and tree- and hedge-planting to provide visual screening.
Will traffic noise increase?
Removing the 50mph speed limit could lead to some increase in noise, but that will be partly offset by the use of low-noise road surfacing material. An assessment for the draft Orders indicated that no property would be subject to noise increases of 3 decibels or more by 2026. Increases in noise below that level are not considered significant and measures to mitigate such increases are not considered necessary.
Will air pollution increase?
The scheme will change traffic characteristics on the local road network and therefore influence local air quality, but a 2008 assessment predicts that pollutant concentrations at all assessed receptor locations will be below national air quality standards, indicating zero or negligible risk to human health.
How much vegetation will be removed?
A small number of trees and some hedgerow will have to be removed, but we will preserve mature tress and hedgerows wherever possible. A biodiversity assessment of the site indicated that vegetation to be removed is generally of low value.
How much land will be required?
The amount of land required to build the scheme has been kept to a minimum, though land is required for drainage basins (soakaways) as well as for the roads themselves. Details of the actual areas required for the scheme are stated in the Compulsory Purchase Order.
CONSTRUCTION
Will there be traffic disruption during construction?
Some disruption is unavoidable when major engineering works take place. However, we will aim to minimize this by specifying routes for construction traffic and by restricting the closure of A1 lanes and carriageways. Private accesses will be kept open at all times, and side road accesses will be kept open except where closure is essential. Access to the village will always be maintained. The Twyford Lane entry to the A1 northbound will be closed permanently as soon as the works begin.
Will construction traffic be allowed to use local roads?
Some use of Twyford Lane, Coalpit Lane and Jockey Lane by construction traffic is unavoidable because we are proposing works there, but otherwise the construction contract will stipulate that works traffic shall not use local roads.
Will there be speed limits during construction?
Yes, lower speed limits will be imposed through the works area during construction for everyone's safety.
What about noise from the construction of the works?
Noise levels for work whilst the scheme is under construction will be agreed with and monitored by Bassetlaw District Council environmental health. Maximum noise levels will be set out in the contract documents. Noisy operations will be avoided at night where possible.
COMPENSATION
What about compensation for those affected?
People living alongside a new or improved road may be eligible to submit a claim for compensation under the provisions of Part 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1973 for any reduction in the value of their property resulting from the use of the new or improved road. The six-year claim period starts one year after the road opens to traffic.
Will I get secondary glazing?
Ce24ain criteria have to be met for a property to qualify for noise insulation under the Noise Insulation Regulations Act 1975. Properties will be assessed against these criteria and if they qualify owners will be offered secondary glazing. As an alternative, the regulations allow us to pay a grant towards the cost of ordinary double-glazing.
What compensation am I entitled to if my land is compulsorily purchased for the scheme?
Compensation following compulsory acquisition of land is based on a principle of equivalence which means that you should be no worse off in financial terms after the acquisition than you were before. The land is valued on the basis of its open market value without any increase or decrease attributable to the road scheme.
Under what circumstances would you buy my home?
We have no plans to buy any dwellings for the Elkesley scheme. However, if you can demonstrate that you have an urgent need to move now, for example due to illness or other changes in circumstances, but cannot sell your home as a result of the road scheme, we may consider purchasing your property. You would have to demonstrate that you could not sell your home except at a considerably reduced price