Walsgrave to Follow Binley in New A46 Flyover Scheme

The now-completed Binley Flyover. Credit: National Highways.

Coventry locals will soon see a much-needed upgrade to the A46 in Walsgrave, with plans going ahead for a second new flyover in the area.

The A46 Walsgrave Flyover plan is now in its public consultation phase, with an estimated construction date to be announced in the near future.

The propositioned routes for the flyover project in Walsgrave. Credit: National Highways.

The £112.5m upgrade in Walsgrave was approved last June, with Octavius Infrastructure building the project.

Walsgrave has had issues with “serious congestion” and air pollution due to traffic.

It is hoped that the flyover project will help to alleviate these issues for local residents and businesses, and to bring more business and resources into the local community.

A similar project in the Binley area has recently been completed.

Binley Mega Flyover

Binley’s A46 Flyover opening ceremony was attended by classic Coventry cars. Image Credit: National Highways.

The £61m flyover in Binley successfully opened early last month after months of “nightmare” lane closures. It’s hoped that the chaos will be worth the payoff.

The flyover has been called a “game-changer” for Binley locals in what was once a traffic congestion hotspot.

The classic opening ceremony included vintage cars and VIP openers.

Attending the opening ceremony, Roads Minister Richard Holden said: "It's great to see the flyover at Binley officially opened, separating long distance and local traffic, reducing congestion and pollution and making journeys safer for all.”

“I’d like to congratulate everyone involved in delivering the works and to thank the local community for their support and patience whilst we completed this important project”, he added.

How does this affect the local economy?

It’s hoped that the upgrades will positively impact local businesses. Credit: Christina Morillo.

The upgrade is also hoped to be a boost for the local economy, something especially important now due to the global financial crisis. Paul Unwin, Regional Sponsor for National Highways said: “It’s twofold really, what it does is it reduces congestion. Businesses will only locate their businesses where they can get their goods to market quickly. We want to attract businesses here, but also to prevent businesses going as well. If they move we’ll lose all that business in the West Midlands and local employment as well”.

“In terms of cost benefits, compared to the £61m invested, there will be 200 or 300 million pounds more in benefits”, he added.

Re-Greening

The plan ensured the ancient Binley Common Wood would not be damaged. The lower emissions from less congestion will also benefit the local ecosystem.

Binley Common Wood has had revitalisation work done as part of the scheme. Image courtesty of Benjamin Earl.

Paul said: “This scheme has done a lot of work actually to provide benefits to the local environment. We’ve done a lot of work in Binley Woods. It was becoming a bit of a fly-tipping hazard so we used something called designated funds to provide some extra investment. We have done a lot of planting as well. If we remove any vegetation, we always look to replace more than we’ve lost”.

It is hoped that similar benefits will happen in Walsgrave, but some locals are anxious about lane closures and difficulty with travel.

If you have feedback about the flyover projects in Binley or Walsgrave, you can use the A46 Coventry Junctions Upgrade Feedback Tool or contact National Highways at A46CoventryJcns@nationalhighways.co.uk.