A CONGESTION-busting £23million project to ease a traffic bottleneck on a main road in Rugby has moved a step closer.
Warwickshire County Council’s (WCC) Cabinet has given approval for officers to produce an outline business case for improvements to the Avon Mill roundabout and Hunters Lane junction on the A426 and A4071.
The long-gestating plan, which was first announced in 2015, proposes to tackle tailbacks by enlarging the roundabout and widening all entries and exits.
The junction between Newbold Road and Hunters Lane will be replaced with a new roundabout, which would connect to the Avon Mill junction via a short dual carriageway on a new bridge to be built over the River Avon.
A second new bridge will be built for a new segregated footpath and cycleway to the north of the existing road bridge, and crossings on the A426 Leicester Road will be improved to provide safer access to Avon Valley School.
A new left-in/left-out access junction will provide access to the Starbucks ‘Drive-Thru’ currently under construction on the former Avon Mill Inn site.
WCC says the scheme will reduce congestion, improve road safety and bus reliability, promote active travel, and help Rugby cope with extra traffic generated by the 12,400 new homes due to be built in the town by 2031.
The council’s transport spokesman Coun Wallace Redford said: “As we strive to ensure our residents are supported by excellent transport infrastructure, we remain ever mindful that such infrastructure must have vision beyond simply car travel.
“At this scheme’s heart is a commitment to making active travel more possible and desirable, while also improving the access and reliability of the town’s bus services in a vibrant and expanding part of Rugby.
“I look forward to seeing this scheme become a reality over the coming years.”
The Department for Transport will contribute nearly £18million – over three quarters of the total – to the scheme, with around £4million expected to come from WCC’s Capital Investment Fund, and the remainder from Section 106 contributions from developers.
Based on current project milestones, it is hoped that work will begin in 2024, and be complete in 2026.
Visit https://tinyurl.com/3hzvrfyc to read the WCC Cabinet report on the scheme.
The council is currently engaging with residents and visitors to Rugby around plans for Rugby Parkway Train Station. Visit www.warwickshire.gov.uk/ask for more information.
