MOTORISTS are being warned about a programme of road closures that will come into effect from later this month at Leicester’s A50/Fiveways junction.
The closures will be required while full resurfacing work is carried out on and around the busy junction, that links Blackbird Road, Woodgate, Fosse Road North, Groby Road and Buckminster Road.
The main Fiveways junction is being completely remodelled as part of a £10.4 million improvement scheme to deliver a reconfigured and simplified junction with improved pedestrian crossings and major improvements on its connecting roads, including new cycle lanes, wider footpaths and improved routes for buses.
The resurfacing will be the last phase of work on the main junction itself.
A rolling programme of short-term closures will affect the following areas, for up to two days at time, from Thursday 24 August:
- Blackbird Road, between its junctions with Anstey Lane/Ravensbridge Drive and Fiveways
- Groby Road, between its junctions with Medina Road and Fiveways
- Woodgate, between its junctions with Marshall Street and Fiveways
- Fosse Road North, at its junction with Fiveways
- The centre of the Fiveways junction
Martin Fletcher, Leicester City Council director of highways, said: “Fiveways is a major scheme that will have huge benefits for the city by simplifying one of our largest and most complicated junctions and making it safer and less confusing for all road users.
“It will make a huge difference for pedestrians, particularly residents, who will be able to cross the busy junction and get to the local shops safely. But the work will also improve the junction for cyclists, for the public transport network and, importantly, simplify the junction for motorists.
“We’re now about to enter the most complicated phase of the works, right on the junction itself. That means we will have to close parts of this busy junction to carry out essential work over the coming weeks.
“We are working hard to minimise the inevitable disruption that this will cause. However, drivers should expect delays and it may be advisable to consider alternative routes while these essential works are carried out.”
Resurfacing work is expected to take up to five weeks to complete and will be carried out in two phases, moving around the junction.
The first phase, which will involve planing the road surface and applying the binder course in preparation for resurfacing, will begin on Thursday 24 August.
This will involve a programme of short-term, one-way road closures affecting parts of the junction as follows:
- Blackbird Road, closed to southbound traffic between Ravensbridge Drive and Fiveways, from 10.30am to 11pm, on Thursday 24 and Friday 25 August
- Blackbird Road, closed to northbound traffic between Fiveways and Anstey Lane, from 10.30am to 11pm, on Tuesday 29 August.
- Woodgate, closed to all traffic between Fiveways and Marshall Street, from 10.30am to 11pm, on Wednesday 30 and Thursday 31 August.
- Groby Road, closed to inbound traffic between Medina Road and Fiveways, from 10.30am to 11pm, on Friday 1 September.
- Inbound route through Fiveways junction, closed to traffic, from 10.30am to 11pm, on Monday 4 September
- Groby Road, closed to outbound traffic between Fiveways and Medina Road, from 7.30am to 3.30pm, on Tuesday 5 September
- Outbound route through Fiveways junction, closed to traffic, from 7.30am to 3.30pm, on Wednesday 6 and Thursday 7 September
A second phase of work will then see the same areas close again for resurfacing and line marking. This is due to begin on Friday 8 September.
The following one-way road closures are due to be in place while work is carried out:
- Blackbird Road, closed to southbound traffic between Ravensbridge Drive and Fiveways, from 10.30am to 11pm, on Friday 8 and Monday 11 September
- Blackbird Road, closed to northbound traffic between Fiveways and Anstey Lane, from 10.30am to 11pm, on Tuesday 12 and Wednesday 13 September.
- Woodgate, closed to all traffic between Fiveways and Marshall Street, from 10.30am to 11pm, on Thursday 14 September
- Groby Road, closed to inbound traffic between Medina Road and Fiveways, from 10.30am to 11pm, on Friday 15 September.
- Inbound route through Fiveways junction, closed to traffic, from 10.30am to 11pm, on Monday 18 and Tuesday 19 September
- Groby Road, closed to outbound traffic between Fiveways and Medina Road, from 7.30am to 3.30pm, on Wednesday 20 September
- Outbound route through Fiveways junction, closed to traffic, from 7.30am to 3.30pm, on Thursday 21 and Friday 22 September
Well-signed diversions will be in place for each phase of the closure.
Some bus services will also be diverted as follows:
- First service 14 will be diverted via Henley Road, Fosse Road North, Glenfield Road, King Richard’s Road and St Augustine Road.
- Arriva services 27/28/29, the Hospital Hopper and service 125 will be diverted via Brading Road, Anstey Lane, Ravensbridge Drive and Abbey Gate before returning to the normal route on Woodgate.
Once this phase of resurfacing is complete, work is due to continue along Woodgate through to Waterside where there will be inbound road closures in place. Full details will be publicised nearer the time.
The Fiveways improvement scheme is being paid for through a mix of Enterprise Zone funding through the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), and the Transforming Cities Fund following the city council’s successful bid for £32million of second tranche funding to support improvements to public transport and provide more safer routes for walkers, wheelers and cyclists in the city centre and local neighbourhoods.
The is being carried out by Thomas Bow City Asphalt – one of the biggest building and civil engineering contractors in the East Midlands – under contract to Leicester City Council.
For more information about the forthcoming works to the A50/FiveWays junction, including maps showing the diversions routes, visit: www.leicester.gov.uk/Fiveways