?21.5m road projects to unclog Nuneaton town centre being ‘re-costed’
Projects to unclog Nuneaton town centre’s notorious traffic problems are being reviewed and ‘re-costed”. Warwickshire County Council[1] has confirmed that its planned road works, which form part of the Transforming Nuneaton[2] programme, are under review.
It has been two years since the county council gave the green light to the £21.5m plans[3] which aimed to finally take action on the ring road which causes tailbacks across the town. There were four key projects under the plans.
Just one of them has a firm start date pencilled in – for next year. This is the Wheat Street project, which is designed[4] to provide a fourth arm to the existing three-arm signalised junction.
It was in council Town Deal board paper where details emerged that all of the other projects are under review. The latest update from the Town Deal board, which the county council sits on, explained that detailed design work for Wheat Street is ongoing and work is anticipated to start in spring 2024.
But it said that it is a ‘re-cost’ project and reported that ‘WCC are re-costing all projects in light of current inflationary pressures’. CoventryLive contacted Shire Hall about the re-costing of all of the projects.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Warwickshire[6] County Council said: “Due to the fast-increasing cost of materials that are essential to these projects, Warwickshire County Council is re-costing all its planned highways projects, this is a normal part of the development of construction schemes, and applies to those in Nuneaton and across the county.”
Other Nuneaton road projects being re-looked at
While the Wheat Street project is firmly going ahead, there are three other projects planned under the Transforming Nuneaton network programme. One is proposals for a so-called ‘Ovalabout’ which will replace the current Leicester Road one-way gyratory system.[7][8]
Initially it meant that new homes would have to be found for Dunelm and Empire Gym for the changes to be made, but now these proposals have been amended. According to a new county council document, Dunelm will now remain but the current gym building, which once played home to Nuneaton nightclubs, will still go.[9][10]
Another project is the A444/Corporation Street/ Powell Way area works. This is is to remove the roundabout with the water feature in the middle and replace it with a four arm signalised crossroads.[11]
Widening Queens Road to allow a bus lane to go in is another project. It is hoped the wider road will benefit drivers and cyclists and that public transport accessibility at the junction close to the bus lane and the junction with Jubilee Way will improve.
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References
- ^ Warwickshire County Council (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Nuneaton (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ £21.5m plans (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Wheat Street project, which is designed (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Plans to improve key gateway into Nuneaton town centre scrapped (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Warwickshire (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Nuneaton (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ ‘Ovalabout’ which will replace the current Leicester Road one-way gyratory system. (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ Dunelm and Empire Gym (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ which once played home to Nuneaton nightclubs, will still go. (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ remove the roundabout with the water feature in the middle and replace it with a four arm signalised crossroads. (www.coventrytelegraph.net)
- ^ here (data.reachplc.com)