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Link road upgrade tops the county’s wish list
A NEW road bridge and southern dual carriageway for Worcester head up an exciting £187 million package of city transport projects unveiled at County Hall.
Highways chiefs at Worcestershire County Council have spent months putting together the ambitious package of measures they hope will give Worcester the transport infrastructure it needs to cope with the thousands of new homes which it is anticipated will be built in and around the city over the next 20 years.
It is now down to the Government to decide how many of the schemes it is prepared to back financially.
Worcestershire's £187 million bid was submitted to the Department of Transport yesterday and represents the county's transport aspirations for the period 2011-2016.
The package includes the following proposals:
l The widening into dual carriageway of the A4440 southern link road from Powick to junction seven of the M5.
l A new £50 million road bridge for Worcester, location to be decided.
l The introduction of an inner-city tram service, running on existing rail track.
l Other measures to promote sustainable travel and the use of public transport.
l A high-quality bus network.
Development of walking and cycling routes.
l Improvement of the urban environment.
Councillor Derek Prodger, the council's cabinet member for the environment, said: "We in no way see the city acting as a dormitory for the West Midlands conurbation - we firmly believe Worcester is one of the UK's premier cities, and this proposed investment would further enhance it."
Coun Prodger agreed the county's bid was "optimistic", and said his priority was the widening of the southern link road.
But the Tory councillor added he was desperate to get as much money as possible from the Government to combat Worcester's growing congestion problem.
Worcester's Labour MP Mike Foster said he was backing the county's bid.
"I have been in discussion with the county about all these ideas," he said.
"They are ambitious plans, without a doubt, and of course I will be submitting a letter of support for this level of investment from the Government.
"There is total unanimity in particular over the need for a dual carriageway to Powick, to deal with the horrendous bottleneck that exists there."
The council is expecting to here in early 2009 if its bid has been successful.
9:58am Friday 9th May 2008
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CommentPosted by: chippie, Worcester on 2:04pm Fri 9 May 08
Wish the Council all the best in their bid - hopefully there won't be anymore development in the City until we have better infrastructure etc. as the roads cannot cope with anymore traffic.
Wish the Council all the best in their bid - hopefully there won't be anymore development in the City until we have better infrastructure etc. as the roads cannot cope with anymore traffic.
Posted by: Stan Parr, Pershore on 3:19pm Fri 9 May 08
Cllr. Prodger says: "We in no way see the city acting as a dormitory for the West Midlands conurbation.."
Wrong, Mr.Prodger! To everybody I know, it already IS a dormitary location! (M5, M42 - Shirley & Solihull, or M5 in through Rubery to Selly Oak and B'ham.
If you would only ask us - the public - we could tell you some of these things well in advance and save you hours of work and wasted time over some wrong developments.
I am delighted to hear you have some plans for the Southern Ring Road - again, we the public knew this "several years ago"!
Maybe a "Public Consultation" as you like to call them, would help - but make it one where you hold it BEFORE you make the plan, perhaps and actually listen to what Joe Public says?
I am not picking on you specifically - all members of councils and parliament have the same affliction.
You all seem to go through Council or Westminster portals and then inexplicably change - you become automatons...and I don't know why - neither does anybody else, yet we continue to cry in your ear "wrong again!" over all manner of designs and plans.
I wonder in which decade the ringroad work will be done (if approved, of course!) - and how many times the price will double, in the meantime?
Cllr. Prodger says: "We in no way see the city acting as a dormitory for the West Midlands conurbation.."
Wrong, Mr.Prodger! To everybody I know, it already IS a dormitary location! (M5, M42 - Shirley & Solihull, or M5 in through Rubery to Selly Oak and B'ham.
If you would only ask us - the public - we could tell you some of these things well in advance and save you hours of work and wasted time over some wrong developments.
I am delighted to hear you have some plans for the Southern Ring Road - again, we the public knew this "several years ago"!
Maybe a "Public Consultation" as you like to call them, would help - but make it one where you hold it BEFORE you make the plan, perhaps and actually listen to what Joe Public says?
I am not picking on you specifically - all members of councils and parliament have the same affliction.
You all seem to go through Council or Westminster portals and then inexplicably change - you become automatons...and I don't know why - neither does anybody else, yet we continue to cry in your ear "wrong again!" over all manner of designs and plans.
I wonder in which decade the ringroad work will be done (if approved, of course!) - and how many times the price will double, in the meantime?
Posted by: Alan2, Worcester on 3:34pm Fri 9 May 08
I came across the Southern Link a couple of hours ago, the Ketch Island was, as is normal in gridlock, every approach road to the Island, nose to tail and the stretch between the Ketch and Powick Island was at a virtual standstill purely due to the volume of traffic. This situation is not now exceptional, it is becoming more and more the norm. A Dual Carriageway would go a long way to improving things but what about the Bridge - big problem short of knocking it down and building a new 4 lane one in it's place.
Chippie is dead right, we don't want any further development this side of the river until the road and associated infrastructure is in place to cope with it.
My great fear now is that seeing the name Foster in the arena with a Conservative Council pushing for the funding and approval we are going to see politicking and opportunism (the same as the WRI) as sure as night follows day. What we must remember from this moment in time is that this was a County Council initiative with our Local MP doing no more than what is right for the people of Worcester and seeking Government funding for the project.
Well done WCC we are rooting for you.
I came across the Southern Link a couple of hours ago, the Ketch Island was, as is normal in gridlock, every approach road to the Island, nose to tail and the stretch between the Ketch and Powick Island was at a virtual standstill purely due to the volume of traffic. This situation is not now exceptional, it is becoming more and more the norm. A Dual Carriageway would go a long way to improving things but what about the Bridge - big problem short of knocking it down and building a new 4 lane one in it's place.
Chippie is dead right, we don't want any further development this side of the river until the road and associated infrastructure is in place to cope with it.
My great fear now is that seeing the name Foster in the arena with a Conservative Council pushing for the funding and approval we are going to see politicking and opportunism (the same as the WRI) as sure as night follows day. What we must remember from this moment in time is that this was a County Council initiative with our Local MP doing no more than what is right for the people of Worcester and seeking Government funding for the project.
Well done WCC we are rooting for you.
Posted by: local resident, worcester on 3:40pm Fri 9 May 08
By the time that any improvement work on the bridge and ring road is started it will be just as out of date as the bridge was when it was started.
Anyone knows that trying to force traffic from three roads each side of the river bridge into one lane over the river defied logic. Traffic lights are needed to both sides to improve the flow of traffic, IMMEDIATELY, NOT IN FIVE YEARS TIME.
A high-quality bus network.
WHY CANT WE HAVE IT NOW? What has government money got to do with it? You raised our council tax over and above the rate of inflation and the city follow suit. Lets have something to show for it, instead of your new style council room and all your perks. I fail to see why you are so keen to increase the money that you take off us each year, but still expect to get money off central government.
Does the money we provide just go to pay for jobs for the boys instead of services.??
By the time that any improvement work on the bridge and ring road is started it will be just as out of date as the bridge was when it was started.
Anyone knows that trying to force traffic from three roads each side of the river bridge into one lane over the river defied logic. Traffic lights are needed to both sides to improve the flow of traffic, IMMEDIATELY, NOT IN FIVE YEARS TIME.
A high-quality bus network.
WHY CANT WE HAVE IT NOW? What has government money got to do with it? You raised our council tax over and above the rate of inflation and the city follow suit. Lets have something to show for it, instead of your new style council room and all your perks. I fail to see why you are so keen to increase the money that you take off us each year, but still expect to get money off central government.
Does the money we provide just go to pay for jobs for the boys instead of services.??
Posted by: Andrew Guy, Whittington on 5:09pm Fri 9 May 08
The queues are because of the traffic chokepoints of Carrington Bridge and junction7. Linking them with dual carriageway will not help. We'll all just queue two-by-two instead.....
The queues are because of the traffic chokepoints of Carrington Bridge and junction7. Linking them with dual carriageway will not help. We'll all just queue two-by-two instead.....
Posted by: Alan2, Worcester on 5:31pm Fri 9 May 08
Agreed Andrew but I would have thought that if DCs are to be brought about, both the bridge and the Motorway set up would be part and parcel of the overall project. Certainly they couldn't remain as they are now. The other matter which would need a dire sort out would be Powick Island. This location at peak times resembles the Arche de Triomphe and particularly on the Rushwick side of the Island it is an absolute nightmare. One can only conclude that the reason why this situation persists is because the County Council don't know what to do with the situation that they have created. At peak times on the Rushwick side of Powick Island, a free for all exists involving god knows how many lanes of traffic where the rules of the road at Roundabouts cease to exist and it is every man for himself.
Agreed Andrew but I would have thought that if DCs are to be brought about, both the bridge and the Motorway set up would be part and parcel of the overall project. Certainly they couldn't remain as they are now. The other matter which would need a dire sort out would be Powick Island. This location at peak times resembles the Arche de Triomphe and particularly on the Rushwick side of the Island it is an absolute nightmare. One can only conclude that the reason why this situation persists is because the County Council don't know what to do with the situation that they have created. At peak times on the Rushwick side of Powick Island, a free for all exists involving god knows how many lanes of traffic where the rules of the road at Roundabouts cease to exist and it is every man for himself.
Posted by: King Creole, Worcester on 8:16pm Fri 9 May 08
Time to look for a more radical solution. As most of the traffic on the southern link is coming from or going to Malvern, the obvious answer is to link Malvern directly to the M5, ideally to a new junction south of Kempsey, It would relieve the A4440 so that dualling would not be needed and provide first class access to the Showground as well as to Malvern and Upton, It would need a new Severn bridge but one id going to have to be built anyway and the Ketch is just about the most expensive solution imaginable.
Time to look for a more radical solution. As most of the traffic on the southern link is coming from or going to Malvern, the obvious answer is to link Malvern directly to the M5, ideally to a new junction south of Kempsey, It would relieve the A4440 so that dualling would not be needed and provide first class access to the Showground as well as to Malvern and Upton, It would need a new Severn bridge but one id going to have to be built anyway and the Ketch is just about the most expensive solution imaginable.
Posted by: UptonX, Upton on 3:27pm Sat 10 May 08
Yes, that was nearly done in the '60s. The route is from the end of the Guarlford Road (by The Rhydd) and across the flood plain to jon the A38 between Severn Stoke and Clifton. Yes the road would need to be elevated a bit but it isn't very far, less than a mile. Could then go on (another mile) to join the M5 about half way between J7 and J8. It would be the perfect solution, solving the Southern link issue but also reducing volumes of traffic on the A38 and fixing the problem when Hanley road upton floods as it would provide a quick way around.
Yes, that was nearly done in the '60s. The route is from the end of the Guarlford Road (by The Rhydd) and across the flood plain to jon the A38 between Severn Stoke and Clifton. Yes the road would need to be elevated a bit but it isn't very far, less than a mile. Could then go on (another mile) to join the M5 about half way between J7 and J8. It would be the perfect solution, solving the Southern link issue but also reducing volumes of traffic on the A38 and fixing the problem when Hanley road upton floods as it would provide a quick way around.
Posted by: varien, worcester on 5:53pm Sat 10 May 08
Also don't let us forget that a lot of these problems could also be alleviated by a Northern Link road across the Severn. Ever since the dual carriageway from Claines Island to the M5 was built in the early 60's (hardly used to begin with and considered to be a white elephant)it has always been a possibility that this link going from Claines Island and across the Severn would be built. In fact I think the plans for this were actually put in place in the 1940's. If Worcester is to be expanded in the north of the city then this link will be an absolute necessity. I live in the north of the city and have done so for most of my life and I fully support this link road, much to the amazement of the Lib-Dems who unfortunately control this part of the City, therfore I am not a nimby. Yes this road would upset and affect a lot of people so my challenge to those people would be shut up and accept it or set an example by getting rid of your car and using the bus.
Also don't let us forget that a lot of these problems could also be alleviated by a Northern Link road across the Severn. Ever since the dual carriageway from Claines Island to the M5 was built in the early 60's (hardly used to begin with and considered to be a white elephant)it has always been a possibility that this link going from Claines Island and across the Severn would be built. In fact I think the plans for this were actually put in place in the 1940's. If Worcester is to be expanded in the north of the city then this link will be an absolute necessity. I live in the north of the city and have done so for most of my life and I fully support this link road, much to the amazement of the Lib-Dems who unfortunately control this part of the City, therfore I am not a nimby. Yes this road would upset and affect a lot of people so my challenge to those people would be shut up and accept it or set an example by getting rid of your car and using the bus.
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