Proposal for the Derby and Derbyshire Area Three potential schemes have been short listed in Derby and Derbyshire that best meet the Highways Agency’s Pinch Point criteria. These schemes solve both localised and wider problems that would provide benefits to the broader D2N2 area. The schemes, in no particular order, include: •
A38(T) Derby Junctions •
Derby/Derbyshire Area Wide Dynamic Congestion Management •
M1 Junction 29 (A617) Signalisation In addition, three other schemes have been identified that the local authorities would like to be considered for inclusion in either future major programmes, or any future round of Pinch Point funding. Figure 1 illustrates the location of the proposals. Proposals for Derbyshire 1. M1 Junction 29 Signalisation Description of the Problem M1 Junction 29 forms the principal point of access to strategic national networks for Chesterfield, and also for journeys to/from Mansfield and the north. It has traffic signals in place at the northbound exit slip road, and also has ramp metering. The junction, though, imposes quite significant delays on both the principal road approaches and on the M1 southbound exit slip, which could be reduced by improved traffic control. This would also help to address the inferior road safety record of the ‘uncontrolled’ elements of the junction when compared to the signalised elements. The most recent three‐year record shows approximately fifty collisions involving personal injury at the junction. The Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone (EZ) includes 20ha of the Markham Vale regeneration area, accessed primarily via Junction 29a. Trips between the M1 and Markham Vale will almost all be served by this junction, which was provided for the purpose. There is, though, a choice of junctions available serving the Chesterfield area and congestion at Junction 29 will discourage its use, with knock‐on effects for alternative junctions. This additional traffic would restrict the capacity of Junction 29a to support the development of the EZ. Junction 29 provides the means of access to strategic networks for substantial business and industrial centres located on the A6175 between the Junction and Clay Cross. Incident Management – The M1 Junction 28 to 31 Managed Motorway Project will allow effective traffic management in response to major incidents on the highway network, and a full signalisation scheme at Junction 29a would complement this and also reduce both routine delays at the junction and those associated with incidents and collisions. Estimated Costs No detailed work has been undertaken at this stage on costs. However, a full signalisation scheme is understood to be technically feasible and deliverable within existing highway boundaries. Costs of similar schemes (assuming no alteration to structures but some carriageway widening) suggest that a budget of £1 million would be sufficient. Relationship with Other Priority Development As noted above, the signalisation of Junction 29 would assist network efficiency in the area around the Markham Vale element of the Sheffield City Region Enterprise Zone and would link to the M1 Junction 28 to 31 Managed Motorway Project. Job Creation & Housing Development There are a number of former large employment sites served by the A61 corridor, south of Chesterfield, that are clearly in need of economic regeneration. Derbyshire County Council is working with North East Derbyshire District Council (NEDDC) and the HCA to promote regeneration of both the former Avenue Site (Coking Plant), Wingerworth, and Biwater site, Clay Cross. Planning consent has recently been granted for a scheme which would include 1,000 dwellings together with 30,000 square metres for employment use to redevelop the former Biwater site, with potentially another 1,100 dwellings together with 15,000 square metres for employment use on the Avenue site. Both of these significant regeneration areas rely upon Junction 29 for their access to strategic networks. Junction 29 also provides access via the A617 for a number of regeneration sites east of the Motorway, including Brook Park at Shirebrook and sites in north Nottinghamshire served off the Mansfield and Ashfield Regeneration Route (MARR). Deliverability Signalisation of Junction 29 is believed to be feasible, although detailed design is required, and to be deliverable within existing highway boundaries. Stakeholders Stakeholders would include the Highways Agency, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire County Councils and the Sheffield City Region LEP. Other Strategic Schemes on Derbyshire’s Long List A 50(T)/A38(T) Junction Management The A50/A38(T) junction, as well as being the intersection between two key Trunk Roads, also provides the direct means of access to Toyota’s Burnaston plant. Proposals for a rail freight depot in the area could impact upon it in the foreseeable future. The junction is not viewed as a major constraint on network performance at present, but the County Council would welcome consideration being given to ‘future‐proofing’ its performance in both capacity and safety terms, both of which could be limited by the relatively high speed of circulatory traffic and the consequent difficulties faced by drivers in judging gaps. No detailed work has been undertaken at this stage on costs. However, a full signalisation scheme is understood to be technically feasible and deliverable within existing highway boundaries. Costs of similar schemes (assuming no alteration to structures but some carriageway widening) suggest that a budget of £1 million would be sufficient. A57/A628/A616(T) The County Council, whilst it does not have a particular solution in mind, would urge the Highways Agency to be mindful of the ongoing congestion, resilience and environmental issues associated with the A57/A628/A616 Trunk Road across the north of Derbyshire. The importance of this corridor to economic performance is illustrated by its high flows of heavy goods vehicles, and it links the Enterprise Zones at Manchester Airport and Barnsley (part of the Sheffield City Region EZ). Some potential mitigation schemes have been suggested in the past, alongside the potential Mottram‐Tintwistle Bypass, as ‘selected, limited improvements’ and the Council would be keen to see these explored further irrespective of the status of the Bypass scheme. Proposals for Derby Derby proposes to put forward the A38 Derby Junctions and a Dynamic Congestion Management scheme for prioritisation within the Pinch Point Programme. In addition, Derby wants to identify the A52(T)/A5111(T) Raynesway Junction as a potential scheme for consideration beyond the current Pinch Point Programme. This is a scheme that the local authority would like to work with the Highways Agency to develop a solution for implementation in the future. 1. A38(T) Derby Junctions Description of problem The A38 is the major strategic route for north/south traffic between the East and West Midlands and beyond bringing traffic from Birmingham to Derby and to the M1 at Junction 28. The road carries approximately 42,000 vehicles through Derby each day with 1 in 7 vehicles being HGVs. Within Derby the A38 has three roundabouts along a 4 mile stretch, locally known as Kingsway, Markeaton and Abbey Hill. Severe delays at these roundabouts of over 12 minutes have been recorded at peak times with tailbacks of over 2.6 miles causing it to be amongst the top 15% of the worst routes on the trunk road network within the East Midlands. These delays have direct ramifications on the local road network, causing congestion and delays on adjoining roads. The roundabouts suffer from high levels of personal injury accidents and the A38 is a significant barrier for pedestrians and cyclists from adjoining neighbourhoods trying to cross. In addition, Local bus movements are impeded by congestion and delays through the junctions particularly at peak hours. Development on the west side of the A38 (particularly housing development) is severely constrained by the congestion at the junction. Proposed Scheme There is currently a scheme to grade separate the A38 Derby Junctions that is on the Highways Agency’s forward plan to be delivered post 2015. Interim schemes have however been developed by the Highways Agency in the past for individual junctions. Proposed schemes include the signalisation of the Markeaton Roundabout, however, in order to increase capacity at the junction it is likely that some widening would be required. The Kingsway junction is partially signalised on the northbound approach to the southern arm. Current proposals have considered extending the signalisation to include the southbound approach of the northern arm and the A5111 Kingsway arm. The Abbey Hill junction is already fully signalised, however, there maybe an opportunity to consider widening the approaches to improve the efficiency of the junction. It is understood that the HA are keen to bring forward schemes at Abbey Hill and Markeaton and this should be supported. Because of the interaction of the Derby junctions, it will be important for the interim measures to consider the operation of all three junctions in combination. From Derby’s perspective this also means understanding the benefits on the local road network. Estimated Costs The costs of these schemes varies, with the Markeaton improvements being the most substantial and costing around £2 million. It should also be noted that there are proposals for the Kingsway Junction that have been identified and included as part of a planning consent for the Manor Kingsway hospital site. Relationship with Other Priority Development A wide range of strategic development proposals and opportunities would benefit from improvements to the A38 junctions. Land availability assessments have identified potential for substantial additional development in the A38 corridor, subject to the outcome of current work on the emerging LDF Core Strategies for Derby, Amber Valley and South Derbyshire. Job Creation and Housing Development Along the A38 corridor, within or adjoining the City boundary, there are identified major sites for 3400 new houses, which could be delivered in the short to medium term. These include H9 Rykneld Road, Highfields Farm and a site at Manor Kingsway adjacent to the A38 Kingsway junction, which is being promoted by the HCA. There are complementary employment proposals associated with these sites that could create about 2300 new jobs. In addition, a few miles north of the City, Amber Valley has recently undertaken consultation on initial proposals for a new settlement at Denby adjoining the A38, which would provide up to 3000 houses, plus employment and supporting facilities. To the south, there are developer led proposals for a 250 hectare rail freight depot at Egginton, adjoining the A50/A38 junction, which would provide 2000 jobs. Deliverability The Highways Agency currently has proposals for interim schemes at Markeaton and Abbey Hill. As such, design and construction could be easily achieved within the Pinch Point Programme. Stakeholders Stakeholders would include the Highways Agency, Derbyshire City Council and Derby City Council. 2. Dynamic Congestion Management Description of Problem The city of Derby is almost completely surrounded by Strategic Road Network: A38, A50 and A52. The circle is completed by a section of the A52 and A61 to the east of the city that are Derby City managed; the traffic volume and congestion is largely determined by traffic using the strategic road network. At key junctions (A52 and A5111, A61 and A38, A52 Ashbourne Road and A38) the demands of users of the strategic road network and the demands of users of the City managed roads directly interrelate. Users of the whole network are engaged in complex patterns of travel, using combinations of the strategic road network and the city managed network. Proposed Scheme Traffic conditions could be improved through additional intelligence and monitoring equipment and the integration of existing traffic control systems and variable message signing to provide information direct to road users. In addition a whole network strategy would better manage access to, and the relationship between, networks. These measures would be complemented by interim control measures at the A38 junctions and in the longer term at the A5111, A52 junction, where more fundamental physical junction improvements will be required. Congestion Management The HA and the City Council currently have traffic control equipment on their respective networks. The two systems operate independently of each other. The proposal seeks to create an integrated control network, filling some of the current technology and monitoring gaps. To add value to this we also want to develop a strategic approach to the management of key congestion areas that acknowledges the complexity of the interrelationship of users of the networks. Reactive Congestion Management The A38, A52, A5111 together with the A61 form the majority of the agreed diversion routes for incidents or planned maintenance on the nearby M1. During periods of increased network stress the A38 junctions and the A5111, A52 junction are points where the network will fail. This has a negative impact on users of strategic and City Council managed networks. Increased congestion in these locations, during evening peak time will quickly impact on the city network, effectively preventing traffic from leaving the City Centre, Pride Park and other industrial and commercial areas, particularly to the east of the City Centre. The A5111, A52 junction is a critical part of M1 diversion routes from junction 28 to junction 24. However congestion at this point and the consequential spread of this congestion reduces the wider network resilience, which is particularly evident in the post event recovery time. Improvements in reliability and recovery will have a positive economic benefit, which will be increased by the proposed additional monitoring and control infrastructure and a wider network management strategy. This in turn will build on existing route diversion agreements adding a dimension of network management to what is currently a passive system, where lack of control at key junctions prevents effective control over the wider network. Pro‐active Congestion Management The proposal will provide increased ability to manage planned major events, with integration with motorway VMS. Estimated Costs No detailed scheme design or costings have been undertaken at this stage. However, it is estimated that as a stand alone proposal a strategic traffic management scheme could cost around £5 million. This includes for the technology, integration, communications networks and strategy development. As part of a more comprehensive integrated scheme with the Nottingham conurbation Dynamic Congestion Management scheme there are likely to be some savings that would bring these costs down. Relationship with Other Priority Development A dynamic congestion management scheme would potentially have benefits for the whole of Derby and wider area. The scheme would support existing economic development and housing growth that is committed or allocated to come forward in the short to medium term. In addition, a wide range of strategic development proposals and opportunities would benefit from improvements to the management of the strategic and local road networks. Land availability assessments have identified the potential for substantial additional development in the A38 and A50 corridors, subject to the outcome of current work on the emerging LDF Core Strategies for Derby, Amber Valley and South Derbyshire. Derby City Council is also looking at the potential for creating two local enterprise zones that cover the major economic growth areas of the city. These include the City Centre and Global Technology Cluster, which is located in the south of the city adjacent to the A50(T). Job Creation & Housing Development City wide major sites are identified for 6000 new houses which could be delivered in the short to medium term. There are employment proposals, which are either committed or allocated, that could create around 20,000 new jobs across the city. These include major sites on former industrial areas such as Chaddesden Sidings on Pride Park, the Global Technology Cluster adjoining Rolls Royce and the Goodman site on Raynesway. Outside of Derby to the south, there are developer led proposals for a 250 hectare rail freight depot at Egginton, adjoining the A50/A38 junction, which would provide 2000 jobs. Deliverability The proposed scheme can be delivered by 2015 as it is anticipated that it requires no land acquisition, no approvals for equipment and builds on existing systems and infrastructure. The key issues are likely to be the integration and compatibility of existing equipment and developing an agreed management strategy with stakeholders. Stakeholders Stakeholders would include the Highways Agency, Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council, Nottingham City Council and Nottinghamshire County Council. In addition, the Police, the RAC , AA and key traffic generators such as Rolls Royce and Toyota should also be consulted. Other Strategic Schemes on Derby’s Long List A52(T)/A5111(T) and A52 Raynesway Junction The junction of the A52/A5111 is not currently identified as a future major scheme by Derby City Council, but it is a critical part of the network, where two strategic routes join the City managed network. This is a point where congestion arises during the weekday AM and PM peak traffic periods. The existing physical network and the resulting congestion is a restriction on neighbouring developable land and constrains further economic development in the Pride Park area. Businesses currently located within Pride Park operate with the cost of the existing congestion problem. An improvement to the junction and neighbouring parts of the A52 would have significant local economic benefit. The physical improvement or the implementation of interim control strategies would compliment the wider network intelligence and the proposed network management strategy, providing greater additional value across a wider area of the network and to the benefit of a larger number of users. It is likely that the costs of providing an improvement at this junction would be in excess of £10 million. It is not proposed to recommend this scheme for funding from the current pinch point funding pot, however, Derby City Council would like to raise the profile of the problems at this pinch point with the Highways Agency and potentially work with them to develop local schemes that might provide benefits to their network. Markham
Vale
J29a
Figure 1 Derby and Derbyshire Schemes
Coking Plant
Wingerworth
Key: M1 Junction 29 Signalisation
Motorway Trunk Road Local Strategic Routes Problem Junctions Traffic Management Area of Influence Key Employment Sites Key Housing Sites Biwater,
Clay Cross
J28
J27 A38
J26
Derby Junctions
A52(T)/A5111 Raynesway
M1 A61
A52
A50(T)/A38(T)
Chaddesden
Sidings
J25
Goodman
Site
A6
Rail Freight
Depot
A50
A38 Global
Technology
Cluster
© Crown Copyright and Database Rights 2012. Ordnance Survey 100024913
J24