MULTI-MILLION pound improvements to ease congestion on a main road in Rugby have been approved by council chiefs.
Warwickshire County Council officers greenlit the £9million plan to improve the A426 on Thursday May 14.
The improvements will include:
Avon Mill roundabout linking Newbold Road and Leicester Road expanded to include crossing facilities for pedestrians and cyclists
Extension of exits at Avon Mill and Newbold Road with a second bridge over the Avon
New roundabout to replace the existing junction at Hunters Lane
Creation of a dedicated cycle link between new housing and employment at the Gateway Rugby development to the north of the town, Rugby Station and the town centre.
In his report, transport planner Nicholas Dauncey said: “The scheme is designed to support and mitigate the impacts of economic growth by reducing traffic congestion problems at a key bottleneck on the A426 Newbold Road/Leicester Road corridor in Rugby.
“These congestion problems will be exacerbated by significant committed housing and employment development up to 2026 and proposals for further growth beyond this.
“As part of the redevelopment of the former Alstom/GEC site, a new link is due to be constructed from Technology Drive which runs through the site to Hunters Lane. Once the link is formed, Hunters Lane will become a through route between Newbold Road and Technology Drive and will carry significantly more traffic than it does at present leading to a requirement for a new roundabout to be provided at its junction with Newbold Road.
“A further scheme is also proposed on the Leicester Road corridor to provide a dedicated cycle link between new housing and employment at Gateway Rugby, Rugby Railway Station and the town centre.”
Some funding is already in place in the form of Section 106 money but more will still need to be secured for the £8.75million scheme to go ahead.
