£8m funding allocated to start work to ease one of Peterborough’s busiest junctions

More than £8m has been allocated to start improvements on one of Peterborough’s busiest road junctions.
The proposed scheme.The proposed scheme.
The proposed scheme.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (CPCA) has recommended the release of £8.014m of funding to begin improvements to one of the city’s most congested junctions.

Junction 15 of the A1260 Nene Parkway sees an average of 46,000 vehicles per weekday pass through it, of which 13% are commercial vehicles meaning that the junction experiences significant peak hour congestion problems.

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Speaking to members of the CPCA Transport and Infrastructure Committee at their meeting (8 November) held at The New Shire Hall in Alconbury, Chair Rowland Potter, said: “Junction 15 is a large graded separated junction serving two of Peterborough’s busiest strategic roads – the A47 Soke Parkway and the A1260 Nene Parkway.

The CPCA meeting approved the funding.The CPCA meeting approved the funding.
The CPCA meeting approved the funding.

“That junction is a direct access for major employment in the area at Thorpe Wood and therefore accommodates a large number of peak hour commuters both to and from the location.

“It is not just an important junction for Peterborough as a city, but congestion in the area has a knock-on effect on all roads leading in and out of that part of the city and so can have a traffic influence on large parts of the north of Cambridgeshire as a result.

“What we are proposing, and I hope that the committee will support, is a scheme that will align with the Local Transport Plan providing transport connectivity and economic growth while improving journey times and reliability in an area that needs it very much.

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“The full business case is now completed and this scheme is clearly shown to represent significant value for money with a benefit to cost ratio of 7.3.

“We are asking for a dawn-down from allocated funds of £8,013,642 to allow the construction phase of the proposed improvements to begin.

“Peterborough City Council and the Department for Transport have part-funded a Thorpe Wood cycleway which runs parallel to the A1260.

“If the committee agrees this proposal and the CPCA Board approves the funding, construction can begin as early as January 2022, with completion in January 2023.”

A complete summary of the construction phase will include:

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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;

Creation of a zebra crossing over Thorpe Wood close to the existing bus stops;

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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;

Construction of a new footpath alignment from the bus stops to the north-western footpath between the business park and Bretton footpath between the business park and Bretton;

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;

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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.

Members of the Transport and Infrastructure Committee voted unanimously to approve the draw-down of the £8.014m of funding.

The matter will now go before the CPCA Board for ratification at their next meeting on 24 November.