Ground Breaking Occasion For Transport Infrastructure In Beverley

Monday, 29 July will see work start on the £22 million Beverley Integrated Transport Plan (BITP) which, when complete, will reduce congestion and improve traffic flows in the town.

The scheme, which received Full Approval from the Department for Transport (DfT) in March, will be one of the largest capital investments ever undertaken by the council and will be delivered by Yorkshire-based contractor Birse Civils, a Balfour Beatty brand.

Anticipated to be complete by early 2015, the project will include the long-awaited and much-needed Beverley Southern Relief Road (BSRR), which will run from the Morrison’s roundabout around the south of Beverley to the A1174 Hull Road, amendments to the Grovehill junction, Swinemoor roundabout and the Flemingate level crossing as well as signing works to reclassify the road network in and around Beverley.

Councillor Stephen Parnaby OBE, leader of East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “We are pleased to be getting started on this important transport infrastructure scheme, which will provide both short and long term benefits for Beverley and the wider East Riding.

“The council was keen from the outset for local companies to share in the delivery of this scheme to provide a boost to the economy and Birse have been given a brief to source local expertise and materials wherever possible and to provide work experience and placements to help our local young people improve their skills and employment prospects.

“Unfortunately there will be some short-term disruption, unavoidable due to the nature of the works, but we hope to keep these to a minimum and would like to thank our residents, motorists and the travelling public in advance for their patience and understanding.

“When complete all of these groups will benefit from improved transport infrastructure for decades to come.”

David Lowther, contracts manager for Birse Civils, said: “We are very much looking forward to commencing the construction of this long awaited scheme.

“We have a great deal of experience in highway construction and will be using this to keep adverse impacts on road users and the local community to a minimum.”

As part of the scheme, Shepherds Lane will be closed permanently to motorised vehicles from 29 July. Long Lane will also have a temporary road closure for a certain period.

Once BITP is complete, Shepherds Lane will be accessible along its full length to pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians with a controlled crossing over the A164 Minster Way.

Whilst traffic volumes on Swinemoor Lane are predicted to increase, due to re-routed traffic flows from the BSRR, the main objective of BITP is to reduce through-traffic volumes in the town centre, with streets such as Keldgate estimated to see a decrease of 60 per cent. The traffic model also predicts traffic volume reductions on Victoria Road, Queensgate and Hengate.

In order to manage traffic flows on Swinemoor Lane and Hull Road, BITP includes significant amendments to the Grovehill roundabout, which will be enlarged and signalised with a computerised signal management system that senses traffic flows and speeds to optimise the sequencing, thereby maximising the volume of vehicles through the junction.