Over £8 million in funding for a major road improvement scheme in Peterborough has been recommended for approval by Peterborough City Council.
The report, authored by Lewis Banks, the council’s Transport and Environment Manager recommends granting approval to the award of £8,166,819 to deliver an improvement scheme on the A1260 Nene Parkway Junction 15.
The junction is a large grade separating junction that joins two of the city’s busiest roads, the A47 Soke Parkway and the A1260 Nene Parkway. It is estimated that 46,000 vehicles pass through the junction on a typical weekday.
The scheme has been funded in its planning stages by the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority since 2017 and work could start as soon as February 2022, with site clearance starting in January, and last until between December and January 2023, reports Peterborough Today.
The council also plans to deliver the Thorpe Wood cycleway scheme (which runs parallel to the A1260) along with the Junction 15 scheme but this will be funded separately. The Department for Transport (DfT) will fund the cycleway and phase one is expected to begin construction next year. A further funding application has been submitted to DfT, under tranche three of the Active Travel Fund, to fund phase two.
The full list of works proposed is as follows:
– Creation of a third lane (northbound) between Junction 33 and Junction 15 of the A1260 Nene Parkway, with a speed reduction to 60MPH implemented
– Creation of a three-lane circulatory on Junction 15 between the A1260 Nene Parkway approach and the Bretton Way exit
– Extension of the flare on the Thorpe Wood to Junction 15 by approximately 30 metres
– Replacement of the pedestrian footbridge over the A1260 Nene Parkway to facilitate the creation of a third northbound lane and bring the footbridge to LTN 1/20 standard
– Environmental and biodiversity enhancements in the north-eastern corner of Junction 15 between Bretton Way and A47 eastbound on-slip
– Wildflower Planting Trial centred on the grass verges either side of the A47 eastbound off-slip
– Areas of mass bulb planting located on the lower ledge of the Junction 15 circulatory as well as the grass verge between the A1260 Nene Parkway and Thorpe Wood
– Tree planting at several locations across the study area as compensation for tree loss at the footbridge and helping to achieve biodiversity net gain
– The exposing of the geological profile of the A1260 Nene Parkway embankments near Thorpe Road Bridge and subsequent interpretation board, including 30-50m on the eastern embankment and approximately 50m on the western embankment.
If approved, the work would be carried out by Milestone Infrastructure Limited. The decision will be made by Councillor Peter Hiller, Cabinet Member for strategic Planning, Commercial Strategy and Investments.
