£3.7m To Ease Jams On Havant Roundabout
8 October 2013, 06:56
Nearly £4 million will be spent on easing traffic jams at a notoriously busy junction in Havant.
Hampshire County Council has been awarded £3.7 million to help reduce congestion at the Asda Roundabout, south of the Dunsbury Hill Farm Business park in Havant.
The funding comes from a Government fund designed to target key bottlenecks around the country and make life easier for the thousands of motorists and businesses who use the local road network every day. The recent announcement relates to the third tranche of funding from the £190 million Local Pinch Point Fund, first announced in December 2012 and saw Hampshire securing the largest single allocation in response to its bid.
Asda roundabout currently experiences significant congestion, particularly in peak times, impacting on the effective operation and performance of local businesses in the area. With the proposed new employment development at Dunsbury Hill Farm and major mixed use development underway at Waterlooville traffic is set to increase. The roundabout would provide one of the main junctions on the road network facilitating traffic movements to these new development sites.
The scheme aims to reduce the impacts of the increased traffic volume and involves significantly increasing the size of the junction along with the introduction of traffic signal control on two approach roads to the roundabout. The Purbrook Way approach from the A3(M) will be upgraded to a dual carriageway which will link into wider traffic capacity improvements planned as part of the West of Waterlooville Major Development Area. The scheme also includes the provision of safe pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities and improvements at the Park House Farm Way junction.
Executive Member for Economy, Transport and Environment, Cllr Seán Woodward, said:
“I am pleased that our bid for Local Pinch Point Funding has been successful. One of the key challenges for economic growth is to ensure high quality transport links for businesses to enable existing firms to expand and to attract new organisations to the area.
"The improvements at the roundabout will help unlock economic growth by supporting the new Dunsbury Hill Farm development, reducing congestion and improving safety for pedestrians and cyclists.”
Cllr Yvonne Weeks, portfolio holder for Economy and Communities at Havant Borough Council said:
"Improvements to the Asda roundabout are crucial to the success of the local economy within the Havant Borough and beyond. The project will provide key infrastructure that brings the development of Dunsbury Hill Farm business park a step closer which could create over 3,500 jobs in the borough.
"There is on-going consultation with residents directly affected by the changes to the roundabout and securing this grant is great news."
The County Council’s bid was supported by the Solent Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP), Havant Borough Council and Portsmouth City Council.