Changes to lanes at Wetherby Road roundabout from this evening

Motorists are asked to take extra care at the Wetherby Road roundabout on the outer ring road as work is undertaken to narrow the road lanes after this evening’s peak traffic.

This reduction in lane width is needed to ensure the safety of road users and construction workers.

Road barriers and a reduced speed limit of 30 miles per hour will also be in place to reinforce safety whilst traveling through the road works.

In addition, there will be a single lane entry onto the roundabout off-peak from Monday to Friday, with the existing two-lane entry retained at morning and afternoon peaks.

The roundabout is the first of seven to be widened to a three-lane approach and two-lane exit in order to reduce congestion on the outer ring road.

The existing two lane entry and single lane exit will be in place through this phase of the works, which are expected to last at least 12 weeks.

The council is reassuring motorists that the restrictions should only cause minor delays. (more…)

Wetherby Road roundabout upgrades to start next week

The works mark the start of a £38m programme to reduce congestion and journey times on one of York’s busiest roads.

Work will take place from approximately 7.30am – 4pm, Monday – Friday. Some extended work until 8pm and weekend working will take place to ensure the overall construction period is kept to a minimum.

To ensure work can take place safely we will need to slightly narrow the lanes to make room, and a temporary speed limit reduction to 30mph on the approach and exits of the roundabout will be in place. Generally two way flow will be maintained throughout the construction period although we will need to change the traffic management arrangements and potentially work overnight for more disruptive work, including resurfacing.

For more information about the York Outer Ring Road improvements visit www.york.gov.uk/yorr

That was the week that was in west York in pictures

A1237 dualling – call for action

A1237 dualling still illusive

With congestion levels on the A1237 York northern by pass gradually increasing, residents have called on the City of York to provide an update report on plans to dual the road.

Hopes that work on at least one junction would start in March have been dashed.

Progress had been promised by Conservative candidates in last years elections but funding – with possibly as much as £240 million needed – is apparently caught up in a wrangle about electing a new regional Mayor.

The government has said that devolution of resources is dependent on the boundaries for new Mayoral regions being agreed. West Yorkshire and North /East Yorkshire are at logger heads over the plan, with York caught in the middle. Meanwhile Sheffield is pressing ahead with its own plans to elect a South Yorkshire Mayor.

No reference was made to a northern Yorkshire devolution in the deals announced in the recent statement by the Chancellor.

The recently published forward programme of decisions likely to be made by the York Council over the next 4 months contains no reference to the dualling project.

Nor is there any provision in the Council 5 years capital programme which was agreed in February.

Road works on A1237 and in Copmanthorpe from next Monday

From Monday 7th September City of York Council will undertake routine maintenance work on the whole of the A1237 outer ring road.

The work will take place between 8pm – 6am, to minimise disruption to residents any work close to housing will be carried out before 11pm.

The work will include hedge cutting and road gully / channel clearance to help improve visibility, redefine carriageway boundaries and resolve flooding problems.

Work will start at Hopgrove roundabout and progress anti-clockwise along the A1237. The work is scheduled to be completed by Saturday 3 October. Traffic lights will be used when work is taking place to ensure the safety of operatives.

As with any maintenance work on roads, there is likely to be a certain amount of disruption. Residents are assured that everything reasonably possible will be done to keep this to a minimum; however motorists should expect some delays and plan their journey accordingly.

For travel information in and around York visit www.itravelyork.info

The work will aim to reduce the amount of ‘overshoot’ accidents where drivers on Hallcroft Lane may not realise they are approaching a crossroad junction and fail to give way to traffic on Manor Heath. This has lead to a number of serious incidents at the junction.

The work will see the Hallcroft Lane section of the junction widened to allow a pedestrian island to be included. Coloured surfacing will also be used to help road users differentiate between the major and minor roads. Signage in the area will also be improved.

The work is scheduled to take three weeks to complete, with work starting on Monday 7 September. Work will take place Monday to Friday between 8.30am – 4.30pm during the first two weeks. Traffic will be managed by stop/go signals with no alterations to the bus service. This will be carried out by City of York Council.

During the third week whilst resurfacing is taking place a temporary full road closure will be in place on Hallcroft Lane from the Horseman Lane junction to the Manor Heath junction. The road will be closed between 9:15am and 4:15pm. An alternative route for diverted traffic will be signed via Horseman Lane, School Lane, Manor Heath.

Additionally to carry out the surfacing work at the junction of Manor Heath / Hallcroft Lane and Hagg Lane a temporary full road closure will be in place at the junction between 6:00pm and midnight on Wednesday 23 and Thursday 24 September. An alternative route for diverted traffic will be signed.
(more…)

A64 Hopgrove junction to be “grade separated”

Today’s government announcements on major improvements to the road network will attract mixed reactions in York.

Included is a pledge to “grade separate” the Hopgrove A1237/A64 junction. This means that fly-overs will replace the roundabout (which was itself subject to an £9 million upgrade only 5 years ago).

However, those hoping for the A1237 to be dualled will be disappointed and traffic, at busy times, having avoided the Hopgrove bottleneck, will immediately face continuing congestion on the remainder of the A64 trip to the coast.

Hopes for the A1237 seem to rest on the devolved funding made available to the, increasingly aloof, Leeds based “West Yorkshire Combined Authority”.

Reports last week suggested that funding for larger roundabouts is the extent of their ambitions.

Poppleton Bar – delays continue as Council responds to Freedom of Information request

At the last Council meeting Councillors were told that all work on the Poppleton Bar Park and Ride project would be completed by the end of July.

No end to Poppleton Bar works

However there is still a considerable amount of work outstanding with periodic impacts on congestion levels in the area.

While the final May deadline for conclusion of the whole Access York contract is long past, it is unclear why there are continuing delays at Poppleton (other than the obvious one that the contractors are simply not fully resourcing their contract obligations).

Cycle tunnel in use but no lane marking on paths

Councillor Ann Reid is now pressing for answers and some have emerged as responses to Freedom of Information requests

One (click to download) confirmed that the whole Access York project – of which the Poppleton works form part – was due to be completed by 23^rd May.

Details of the road closure orders have also been published on the Council’s web site

Meanwhile, the permanent traffic signals at the A59 junction with the Park and Ride access road are now in place, but the following work is still outstanding

Considerable surfacing and landscaping work
White lining (e.g. on the cycle path exit from the A1237 pedestrian/cycle tunnel. (If this is intended to be a shared cycle/[pedestrian space then it does not seem to comply with the specification agreed with the Blind and Partially Sighted Association)

24 hour lighting on new roundabout

Yesterday (Thursday) the street lights in the area were permanently lit. Taken with the decision to exclude the provision of on-site electricity generation from the project, this does seem to fly in the face of the Councils environmental policies?

Drivers now want a realistic completion date for the project.

Residents would also like to be reassured that there are penalty clauses in the contract which will be invoked to compensate the Council, taxpayers and drivers for the inconvenience and additional expense that they have suffered over the last few months.

Still more A59 road works to come

More traffic delays are in prospect as lane restrictions are re-introduced on the A59 near its Boroughbridge Road junction with the A1237.

Boroughbridge Rd southeast bound closed between A1237 & Beckfield Ln junctions 09:30hrs 16th July till 15:30hrs 22nd July due to road works.

— York Travel (@york_travel) July 10, 2014

The lane restrictions had been lifted for the Tour de France.

Now, with work at the junction dragging on, further congestion and inconvenience for drivers is expected.

The nearby Park and Ride site is also far from finished and the delays and the decision of the Council – to start bus services from the unfinished site – will be considered at the York Council meeting next week (17th).

Questions tabled include:

(xxxiv) To the Cabinet Member for Transport from Cllr Reid:
“Who took the decision, and when, to open the new Park and Ride site at Poppleton before work had been completed (the outstanding works on 9th June included car parking space, signage, traffic signals, road junction layout, layout, A1237 junction improvements etc) and when will all work connected with the Park and Ride site and associated road works be completed?”

(xxxvi) To the Cabinet Member for Transport from Cllr Reid:
“ What has been the number of vehicles parked on average each day at the new Park and Ride site at Poppleton and how many passengers have been carried by the new buses on each day since 9th June?”

3 more weeks of road works at A1237/A59 junction

Council criticised for also closing Leeman Road alternative route from Monday

The York Council has been criticised by motorists for not delaying the start, on the resurfacing the carriageway near the Marble Arch bridge on Leeman Road, until the Poppleton roadworks were completed..

It has now been confirmed that the work is being undertaken at the same time as severe restrictions on the A1237 northern by pass continue to be applied.

The Council has issued a statement today saying,

“‘Businesses are open’, is the message City of York Council is emphasising whilst contractors complete overnight highways works in the north of the city.

Following the opening of the Poppleton Bar Park&Ride, the focus now moves to completing the highway works along the A59 at the junctions with Station Road, Poppleton and the York Outer Ring Road.

Contactors Belfour Beatty will continue to work at night in the area as follows:

· Week commencing 9 June: working mainly around the A59/1237 roundabout using temporary traffic signals 8pm to 6am.
· Week commencing 16 June: working mainly around the junction of the A59 with Station Road, Poppleton using temporary traffic signals 8pm to 6am.
· Week commencing 23 June: finishing off the main roundabout surfacing and markings using a road closure of the A1237, for three nights between 23 – 25 June from 8pm to 6am. Surfacing of Station Road using a road closure of the Station Road/A59 junction for one night (planned for 23 June). Final surfacing on the A59 east and west of the roundabout using temporary traffic signals.

(more…)

Overnight road closures for Poppleton P and R site

City of York Council will be carrying out overnight works in the area surrounding the A59 in preparation for the new Poppleton Bar Park & Ride site.

The works will take place in two phases from Monday 31 March until Thursday 17 April and from Tuesday 6 May until Friday 23 May.

To allow the council to undertake overnight works temporary traffic signals or, in the second phase, overnight closures will be in place. The working hours will take place generally between 7pm until 6am, although some operations will be shorter than this.
(more…)

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