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Council invests in A614/A6097 to bring scheme one step closer to fruition

Nottinghamshire County Council has today announced that it will invest an extra £10.8milion into the A614/A6097 improvement scheme which will see upgrades to Ollerton roundabout, White Post roundabout, Warren Hill junction, Lowdham roundabout and Kirk Hill junction.

£5.8million of this extra investment will deliver design improvements to the scheme following consultation feedback, as well as funding changes required to secure planning permission, and mitigating an increase in costs due to inflationary pressures and project management fees.

Improvements include additional measures to protect residential properties affected by the scheme, a revised drainage and landscaping strategy in Lowdham, a new Pegasus crossing, bridleway and landscaping at Kirk Hill to aid horse riders and an increased Biodiversity Net Gain mitigation scheme at Ollerton Roundabout to secure benefits for nature and wildlife habitat.

Improvements to the Mickledale Lane junction will now include traffic signals, which were strongly supported by local road users during the original consultation due to their benefits in creating easy access to and from local villages.

Plans had moved away from traffic signals in order to fulfil the Department for Transport’s (DfT) journey time saving requirements that were needed to secure Government funding, but these plans will now be moved forward and will be funded by the county council at a cost of approximately £5million.

A consultation on a new design layout for the junction will take place later this year.

Councillor Keith Girling, the County Council's Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Asset Management, said: “This extra £5.8 million reflects Nottinghamshire County Council’s absolute commitment to delivering the A614/A6097 improvement scheme.

"We will continue to push forward with this vitally important scheme to improve local and regional connectivity and support growth and investment in Nottinghamshire. Improving access to training and jobs, and helping businesses to move goods more efficiently, is central to making our local economy stronger.

“Inflationary pressures are currently being experienced across the construction and civil engineering sector and economy in general, so the fact that costs have increased over the last three years doesn’t come as a surprise. Our further investment just goes to show our commitment to removing peak period traffic congestion along this busy route, significantly improving journey time for commuters and local businesses and unlocking major development sites nearby.

“We're committed to maximising the benefits of these much-needed junction improvements and our revised approach reflects the need to secure DfT funding, ensuring overall scheme viability, value for money and deliverable improvements that will benefit residents and all road users.”

Subject to any Public Enquiry, the full business case for the A614/A6097 scheme will be submitted to the DfT later this year with works due to start in Spring 2024.