Find out the latest position with Stratford's Birmingham Road Improvement Scheme.
Improvements to cycling and walking infrastructure, reacting to changes in travel behaviours and traffic flow, and coupled with responding to the needs of local people, are the focus of the adapted Phase 2 of the Birmingham Road Improvement Scheme.
Phase 1 of the scheme - from Arden Street to Windsor Street - was completed in January 2022, bringing an improvement aesthetically as well as making the road crossings easier to navigate. The segregated cycle and footway created safer spaces for different user groups. Resurfacing has improved and extended the life of the well-used road.
The overall aims of this important scheme are to improve traffic flow by reducing traffic bottlenecks, while providing increased infrastructure for walking and cycling along popular routes into the town of Stratford.
Phase 2 – A46 Bishopton Roundabout to The Avenue
Since the beginning of the year, Warwickshire County Council has been examining traffic trends and profiles, which has indicated that traffic growth has not occurred at the level previously predicted when the scheme was initially planned and designed. Despite this, there remains significant scope for positive improvements.
For this reason, the Council is now looking to reduce the extent of the carriageway widening work within Phase 2 to provide localised widening near the A46 roundabout approach only. Previously shared designs proposed that widening the carriageway would facilitate an additional lane into town to provide added capacity for queuing traffic off the A46. This will no longer be provided, and instead the single lane in and out of town will remain but now with a wide shared footway cycleway being provided along the full length of Phase 2.
The bulk of the enabling works supporting Phase 2 of the scheme – including cutting back foliage, surveys and utilities works – have now been completed, which will allow the revised scheme, once produced, to proceed with limited further enabling works being required.
The cycling and walking improvements along the full length of Birmingham Road Phase 2 will be progressed as early as possible in 2024, but the precise timing of this will now be determined by a need to coordinate with other local road works that are planned, to minimise traffic delay in the Stratford area.
Discussions with local residents indicate that a decision not to widen the carriageway along the full length of Phase 2 at this time will be largely supported, particularly by residents occupying properties on side roads and who front Birmingham Road.
The Council understands the importance of keeping residents updated on these developments and the revised proposals will be shared with residents and other stakeholders prior to the start of the work via the Council’s website and direct letter drops to local households.
Phase 3 - The Avenue to Arden Street
Once the revisions to Phase 2 have been completed, this will enable the Council to reprioritise funding towards improvements to Birmingham Road Phase 3, between The Avenue and Arden Street.
Phase 3 of the scheme is where the proposed improvements will make the most notable impact on improving traffic for Stratford residents.
The design of this section is now being refined and utility companies are being engaged to ensure any diversion of services required are minimised, costed and planned for.
As with Phase 2, the timing for the delivery of this Phase will be coordinated with other planned works (utility works, highway improvements, highway maintenance) and events in the Stratford area to ensure key traffic routes around the town are kept flowing as far as is reasonably practicable, though some delays can be expected.
Residents will be kept fully informed on progress.
Councillor Jan Matecki, portfolio holder for Transport and Planning said: “As a Council we are committed to ensuring that residents are fully supported through excellent transport infrastructure. Sometimes, in order to meet this commitment, it is essential that proposed works are reviewed to allow us to react to changing usage trends and data.
“The County Council remains committed to the Birmingham Road Improvement scheme and would like to take this opportunity to thank residents for their continued patience with these developments.”
Cllr Tim Sinclair, Ward Member for Stratford North, said: “The updating of the Phase 2 designs makes complete sense, in light of the latest modelling work. The improvements for cycling and walking are still very much included, but residents living off the Birmingham Road had expressed concerns about getting out of their roads with the original scheme and the changes should help them with that. Critically too it allows funds to be prioritised towards Phase 3, running past Tescos and the Maybird Centre, where most improvement to the traffic flow are expected.”
Residents can keep up-to-date on progress by visiting: www.warwickshire.gov.uk/birminghamroadstratford