Outland Road junction improvements near completion

Work to improve a key junction on one of the busiest roads into the city is nearing completion.

The Outland Road Junction Improvement Scheme aims to reduce congestion between Peverell Park Road and Torr Lane, improving journey times for motorists and service reliability for buses on this busy route. It will also improve road safety by upgrading pedestrian crossings and providing new on-road cycle lanes.

The first phase of the scheme at Peverell Park Road was completed in March 2016. The main works between Torr Lane and Weston Park Road / Ham Drive junctions began construction in September 2016. The original programme had a completion date of March 2017 but the contractor uncovered poor ground conditions that resulted in the completion date extending by a few weeks. This was unfortunately unavoidable.

We are coming towards the end of the scheme and aim to have the improved junction at Torr Lane reopened next week, which will alleviate much of the disruption to local residents and businesses. The current closure of Weston Park Road is also due to be lifted at the end of this week. From next week there will be a westbound closure of Ham Drive between Outland Road and Camilla Terrace, which will be in place for a maximum of three to four weeks. As with all the road closures so far, signed diversions will be in place for both motorists and pedestrians.

The diversions are essential in order for the works to be carried out safely, with the minimum amount of disruption to all road users. With a scheme of this size, at such a sensitive location, it is not possible to provide improvements without some delays being experienced. However we are trying to keep these to a minimum as far as possible.

Although there has been some weekend and night working to reduce the length of the construction period, this is disruptive to those living close by and the associated costs are substantial.

We work closely with the contractor, Amey LG, to ensure the scheme is delivered as far as is possible within the programme timescales and budget. Although there has inevitably been some disruption, the scheme will have significant benefits for the city in terms of providing better transport facilities for the future.