The proposed traffic improvement scheme will reduce congestion and enhance walking and cycling provision
Solihull Council is seeking feedback on a proposed scheme to improve the A45 Coventry Road / Damson Parkway / Terminal Road junction. Sitting along an important route, which serves both Birmingham Airport and the nearby Jaguar Land Rover plant, this key junction is one of the busiest in Solihull.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has temporarily impacted travel patterns across the region, planned growth at the UK Central Hub area is likely to exacerbate the existing congestion issues further in the future.
The junction currently has poor facilities for pedestrians and cyclists with an outdated pedestrian footbridge spanning the A45 adjacent to the junction and uncontrolled crossings at the junction itself. The existing facilities, including the footbridge, do not meet current requirements and could even act as a barrier to people walking and cycling to get to locations across the A45.
The new proposals include additional lanes, road widening and the replacement of the outdated pedestrian footbridge with signal controlled pedestrian and cycling crossings.
The scheme seeks to:
- Improve journey times and journey time reliability for all users of the junction;
- Improve access to Jaguar Land Rover, in particular the new Logistics Operation Centre which is under construction;
- Enabling further economic development and support economic recovery from the COVID 19 pandemic;
- Improve road safety for all users of the junction;
- Enhance walking and cycling provision around the junction;
- Improve air quality; and
- Accommodate current and future proposals for the Sprint bus network.
Solihull Council is seeking feedback on the proposals and will be consulting on the scheme over the next four weeks.
Road users and residents can view detailed scheme drawings and share their thoughts by visiting the council’s website and completing a survey. Council officers will also be holding two online webinars next month where they will be presenting the scheme and answering any questions.
Councillor Ted Richards OBE, Cabinet Member for Growth & Infrastructure Delivery at Solihull Council, said:
“It’s important that we invest in this strategically important route and ensure it is fit to serve future capacity needs. The A45 Coventry Road is a vital transport corridor for Solihull which connects the UK Central Hub directly to Birmingham City Centre. Planned growth at the Hub will play a key role in the Borough’s economic fightback from the current pandemic.
“The need to improve the congested junction at the A45 Coventry Road / Damson Parkway / Terminal interchange was first identified back in 2015 in the Solihull Connected Transport Strategy. The proposed improvements which go out to consultation today are informed by detailed traffic modelling which has enabled us to design a new junction which both improves the reliability of journey times and provides greater accessibility for pedestrians and cyclists.
“I would encourage anyone who regularly uses this junction to get involved in the consultation by filling out our survey and/or attending one of our webinars”.
Residents can also choose to get in touch via post by writing to the council at:
A45 / Damson Parkway Consultation
Solihull Council
Economy & Infrastructure Directorate
Council House
Manor Square
Solihull
West Midlands
B91 3QB