The final part of an upgrade to a major Nottingham east-west link road has moved a step closer as National Highways announced the appointment of a contractor to deliver the remaining work. Griffiths Farrans Joint Venture (GFJV) will design and carry out the improvement works to the remaining two junctions on the A52 at Nottingham Knight and Wheatcroft near Edwalton.
Work is expected to start on these junctions in September 2024, and is due to finish in 2026/27. A public consultation to share the more detailed proposals and seek local views will be held by National Highways later this year.
The current plans for the remaining junctions propose a dedicated lane for the A606 southbound towards Gamston, a new signalised crossing for pedestrians and cyclists, and a new cut through for the A52 eastbound towards A606 Melton at the Wheatcroft roundabout. Whereas the Nottingham Knight roundabout changes would include a new cut through the eastbound A52 traffic, a dedicated lane for A52 eastbound to the A60 towards Ruddington and a dedicated lane for the A52 eastbound towards West Bridgford.
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Several junctions were identified along the A52 as needing improvement, which will allow for congestion to be reduced, pedestrian and cycle routes to be improved, improve road safety for all users and provide capacity for more traffic from local developments. The project was announced as part of the government’s Road Investment Strategy in 2014, and is also allowing for improved signalisation and junction reconstruction on the road.
Senior Project Manager for National Highways in the Midlands, Nick Medlicott, said: "Today’s announcement that we have appointed GFJV as our main contractor on the final phase of our A52 Improvements Project marks an exciting milestone in a transition which we know will make journeys smoother for motorists and support economic growth. We are coming into this final phase of the upgrade works in a strong position, with an ongoing collaborative relationship with our main contractor and an established team in place.
“I would also like to thank the local community for their patience and engagement during our work so far. We also look forward to holding public information events to ensure local communities, businesses and road users can meet members of our team in person and find out more about our plans.
“In the meantime, we are encouraging people to visit our scheme webpage to sign up for updates, contact National Highways Scheme Inbox via email or call 0300 123 5000 for more information.” Improvement works have already been carried out at the Nottingham Road and Cropwell Road junctions in Radcliffe on Trent which opened to traffic in 2017.
Then in 2021 work began on the four remaining smaller junctions. Bingham, Stragglethorpe, Silverdale junctions are all now complete, and work at Gamston began in January 2022 and is set to finish in Spring 2023. Steve Haviland, Partnership Leader at Griffiths Farrans Joint Venture, said: "We are looking forward to continuing our successful relationship with National Highways to deliver the final element in an integral series of works that will have a positive impact for travel in this region.
“High profile projects like this one demonstrate the critical role that civil engineering has to play in delivering a functioning, valuable road infrastructure. By reducing congestion and improving safety with this work, we are building a network which will support transport and logistics, save lives and allow the local economy to grow for years to come.
“We have been active in the area for a number of years now and we are pleased to have built collaborative relationships with key stakeholders in the area. We look forward to continuing these relationships to deliver a positive lasting impact through jobs, skills and apprenticeships, working with our local supply chain partners, supporting schools and charitable organisations.”
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