COUNTY highways chiefs have revealed work to tackle congestion in three areas of Worcester blighted by gridlocked traffic will begin this summer thanks to a £3.2million Goverment cash injection.
Croft Road by The Hive, Sidbury and St John’s will undergo improvements after highways bosses at Worcestershire County Council secured the cash from the Department for Transport’s National Productivity Investment Fund.
The cash boost will tackle known congestion ‘pinch points’ and inefficient junctions along the main A44 west-east axis through the city centre. This includes the sections between St Johns and Sidbury, as well as Croft Road to the north and all the key approaches to these areas.
At Croft Road, the current zebra crossing enables more than 2,000 pedestrians and nearly 200 cyclists to cross that part of the A449 on an average day.
But county highways will scrap the current set-up this summer in favour of a pedestrian crossing with traffic lights while motorists heading towards Castle Street will be prevented from turning right into the Cattlemarket car park.
Traffic lights on the Sidbury and City Walls Road junctions will be updated later this year as the current lights which are 40 years old will be scrapped in favour of an upgrade which will allow the sites to ‘communicate’ to each other when traffic flows vary and green light timings need to alter.
Coun Amos: “It’s great news we will soon be in a position to share more details on these key schemes after a period of closely evaluating the issue and potentials solution available.
“Cutting congestion remains a priority for the council and with the additional funding proposed for the next 3 years, even more can be done to tackle the hotspots around the county.”
The county’s highways chief told the Observer the work in St John’s would involve a complete refurbishment of the shopping area between the Bullring roundabout up to the traffic lights junction with Bromyard and Malvern Roads.
A new crossing will be installed in the heart of St John’s, new block paving on the footpaths and a widening of the Bromyard Road are among the plans being put forward by county highways chiefs who hope to begin work in the autumn.
“This is a magnificent scheme that will make a difference to this part of St John’s,” Coun Amos added.
“We hope it will breathe new life into this much-loved village in the city.”
E-mail [email protected] with your views
