East Midlands region

East Midlands region

Targeted programme of improvements

It was announced in July 1997 that the A50 Derby Southern Bypass Contract B would go ahead. The following further schemes have now been included in the targeted programme of improvements.

A6 Great Glen Bypass Will enhance the environment and improve road safety in Great Glen by removing traffic from the village;

A6 Rothwell to Desborough Bypass Will eliminate a bottleneck, enhance the environment and improve road safety by removing traffic in Rothwell and Desborough;

A6 Rushden & Higham Ferrers Bypass Will enhance the environment and improve road safety in the towns by removing traffic;

A6 Alvaston Will enhance the environment and road safety in Alvaston by removing traffic and will improve access to development sites thereby assisting regeneration and competitiveness;

A43 Silverstone Bypass Will eliminate a bottleneck, enhance the environment and improve road safety by removing traffic from the village;

A43 Whitfield Turn to Brackley Hatch Improvement Will improve road safety by dualling a sub-standard section of single carriageway road and enhance the environment;

A46 Newark to Lincoln Improvement Will improve access to and from Lincolnshire thereby assisting regeneration, competitiveness and road safety.

Proposed studies

Subject to consultation with the regional planning conference it is proposed to undertake the studies detailed below. The outcome of these studies will inform consideration of transport infrastructure requirements in preparing Regional Planning Guidance, including the need for improvements to the trunk road network.

London to South Midlands Study to consider congestion problems in the area based on M1, A1(M)/A1 and M11 corridors. Particular issues to be addressed will be development pressures, access to major urban areas, and the scope for modal shift.

North South Movements in East Midlands Study to consider congestion problems on the M1 between junctions 21 and 28 and the scope for modal shift. The study will also look at development pressures, including the need for a Kegworth bypass and a new junction to the north of junction 29 as recommended by the Coalfields Task Force in their recent report.

M1 Junction 19 Study to consider solutions to congestion and safety problems at this key junction.

A38 Derby Junctions Study to consider options for dealing with congestion at junctions with A52/A5111 and A61.

West Midlands to Nottingham Study of congestion problems in A42/M42 (to M6) corridor taking into account the M69 and A38 corridors.

A453 (M1 Nottingham) Study to consider solutions to congestion and safety problems.

Smaller scale measures

The Highways Agency will develop a programme of Local Network Management Schemes aimed at specific road safety problems across the regions network. In addition, the Agency will take forward toolkit ideas, such as bus priority measures and cycle lanes, on trunk routes to support integrated transport.

Transport system

The East Midlands Region comprises the counties of Derbyshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Nottinghamshire. It is a diverse region and includes cities and towns with substantial traffic congestion problems, such as Nottingham, Derby, Leicester, Lincoln and Northampton, the regions main commercial, administrative and cultural centres; remoter areas, such as rural Lincolnshire, where the problem is poor accessibility; former coalfield areas which also have poor transport links; and areas such as the Peak District, which are under traffic pressure from visitors.

North-south movement is comparatively easy. Both the Midland and East Coast Main Line railways run through the region, mirroring the M1 and A1 trunk roads. In addition, the West Coast Main Line railway serves the western fringe of the region. East-west travel is less convenient, the principal rail routes being those through Nottingham, from the West Midlands to Lincolnshire, and those through Leicester, from the West Midlands to East Anglia. East-west road connections improved significantly with the opening of the A14 in the south of the region and the A50 in the north-west. The East Midlands Regional Airport at Castle Donnington is an important and fast growing facility which is well served by its proximity to the M1, A42 and A50. There are four small ports in the region at Boston, Sutton Bridge, Fosdyke and Gainsborough which are important to their immediate localities and have capacity to serve a wider area.

Pressure points on East Midland regions trunk roads

Following publication of What role for trunk roads in England? a consultative meeting was held with representatives of local authorities, business and environmental groups to consider problems on the regions trunk road network and priorities for action. The meeting served to inform the regions integrated transport seminar. In addition, over 3,800 written representations were received.

The main areas for action identified as a result of the regional consultation were:

• Dealing with congestion problems on the M1;
• Improvement of the A46 between Newark and Lincoln;
• Addressing congestion and safety problems on the A43 between the M1 and M40;
• Dealing with congestion problems on the A38, A42 and A453;
• Removing trunk road traffic from communities to improve the local environment and road safety.

Other decisions

The following schemes are to be the subject of further studies and consideration by the regional planning conference:

• M1 J25-28 Junction Improvements
• M1 J23A-25 Widening (including A6 to M1 Link)
• M1 J21A-23A Widening
• A38 Derby Ring Road A61 Grade Separated Junction
• A38 Derby Ring Road A52/A5111 Grade Separated Junction
• A453 Clifton-M1 Improvement
• A453 Clifton Lane Improvement
• The following schemes are being withdrawn from the national trunk road programme:
• A43 Geddington Bypass
• A43 Moulton-Broughton Improvement
• A43/A16 Stamford Relief Road
• A45 Weedon, Flore and Upper Heyford Bypass
• A46 Newark-Widmerpool Improvement

Proposals for detrunking

Routes wholly or partly within the East Midlands proposed for transfer to local highway authority management are:

• A6 Bedford to Manchester
• A15 Lincoln to M180
• A16 Stamford to Grimsby
• A17 Newark to Kings Lynn
• A43 M1 to Stamford
• A45 Northampton to M45
• A47 Leicester to A1
• A52 West of Derby and East of Nottingham
• A57 Lincoln to Sheffield
• A61 Alfreton to Sheffield
• A428 Northampton to Bedford
• A606 Nottingham to Widmerpool
• A614 Nottingham to Bawtry