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Stafford Western Access Route

SWAR 2

Work is now under way on the multi-million-pound Stafford Western Access project which will boost growth and ease congestion in the town centre.

It will enable millions of pounds worth of new housing and business development to take place and improve traffic flow in the town centre, particularly by the railway station.

The new road will link the A34 Foregate Street at Madford Retail Park to the A518 Newport Road Castlefields junction. The road will help improve traffic flow in Gaol Square, Newport Road (east of Kingsway), Station Road, Chell Road, A34 Foregate Street (south of the scheme) and Doxey Road.

The road is being funded by developers and with £15.5million secured by the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Enterprise Partnership through the Government’s Local Growth Fund. It will support the construction of up to 2,350 houses and the creation of 100 jobs.

The scheme will include improved conditions for bus services, pedestrians and cyclists. There will also be environmental benefits through the redevelopment of areas of derelict land and landscaping along the route.

The scheme commenced in July 2019 and is due to be complete in Autumn 2021.

Scheme detail:
  • An improved junction on the A34 Madford Retail Park to provide additional lanes. The route will pass between the Lidl and Tenpin buildings before crossing the River Sow and Doxey Road car park on a low viaduct.

  • The route will connect into a new enlarged roundabout to replace the existing mini-roundabout access to the Doxey Road car park.

  • The section of Doxey Road that is fronted by the Castletown properties will be re-aligned to provide a buffer between the residents and the new road. The existing road will remain as a service access to these properties.

  • The section of Doxey Road between Timberfields Road and the West Coast Main Line bridge will be re-aligned to improve the approach to the railway bridge.

  • A new section of road will be constructed between the West Coast Main Line bridge and the Martin Drive/ Rose Hill roundabout on the existing Castlefields estate.

Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport David Williams said:

“The Stafford Western Access Route is a huge project for the county town and for Staffordshire. It is critical for Stafford’s future growth and to see the progress so far – particularly considering pandemic restrictions – is rewarding to the county council, communities and our businesses.

“The route really is taking shape now and people can see how it will make a difference to the town – enabling both housing and business development and easing congestion in the centre of Stafford and near the railway station.

“The river bridge construction is a critical phase of the project, connecting the northern section to Doxey Road. We’re pleased we have been able to continue work safely through the pandemic.

“We have ensured communities have been kept informed and involved throughout the project and we are always keen for any feedback from residents and businesses.”

LEP chairman Alun Rogers said:

“We’re pleased to see such rapid progress at one of our major projects which will deliver growth, attract investment and support job creation for our communities.

“Covid-19 has hit our economy hard, as it has nationally, and so continuation of the Stafford Western Access Route and other projects will be vital for our longer-term recovery. The completed route will complement successful delivery of the Stafford Gateway project and our future HS2 connection.

“The project demonstrates to people, business, future investors and the Government the successful working across the public and private sectors in Staffordshire.”

Coming up 

Programme of Works

As we move closer to scheme completion we continue to make great progress, through what has been a challenging 18 months with Covid 19 we have continued throughout and driven the programme of works to achieve the anticipated completion of late Autumn 2021, our current planned completion dates are as follows:

The main carriageway works - complete by early October 2021 with the exception of the installation of safety fencing between Sainsburys Roundabout and Greyfriars Place

The off line carriageway works which includes accommodation works – complete late October 2021

The Landscaping works – will be ongoing in accordance with the planting seasons.

**All these dates are subject to any unforeseen circumstances which may occur**

The delay to the installation of the safety fencing is obviously extremely disappointing and we will be working together with our supply chain partners to reduce this impact where possible.

Unfortunately there have been a number of external factors outside our control which has delayed the installation of the safety fencing including the pandemic and availability of materials.

These works are currently planned to be completed by mid-November and as the safety fence is an essential element which affects the safety of all road users we will not be able to open this length of road until all these works are complete.

We would like to thank you for your continued support and patience throughout, if you require any further information, please don’t hesitate to contact us at staffordwestern.accessroute@staffordshire.gov.uk

Links

Bridge Beam Installation Project Board Scheme Site Visit Scheme UpdatesScheme Video Progress Updates

Where can I find out more?

The Stafford Western Access Route scheme is registered with Considerate Constructors Scheme (CCS) as an Ultra Site. As an Ultra Site we work to achieving greater standards and collaboration across the construction industry and exceeding the Scheme’s Code of Considerate Practice. To find about more about CCS please visit www.ccscheme.org.uk

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