Forder Valley Link Road

This from Plymouth City Council:

We’re inviting people to share their views on proposals to improve the transport network in the Forder Valley area. Two schemes are being proposed: a new link road between William Prance Road in Derriford and the junction of Forder Valley Road and Novorossiysk Road and improvements to Forder Valley Roundabout.

The north of Plymouth is set grow significantly over the next 15 years. The Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan has identified this area to deliver 4,300 new homes and a new district centre providing new shops, community and leisure and health facilities. Key infrastructure, including the two Forder Valley schemes, will unlock this growth and help to provide major improvements for the north of the city.

The Forder Valley Link Road will reduce delays and unreliable journeys between the A38 and Derriford, providing an additional route from the east to the north avoiding the often heavily congested Manadon Roundabout and the A386 Tavistock Road. It will also provide essential infrastructure that will allow new developments in the Derriford area to come forward. The new link will make it easier to get to key destinations such as Derriford Hospital, the University of St Mark and St John and Plymouth Science Park, improve bus journey times and provide safer walking and cycling routes. It will also include a new area of recreational land, an extension of the nearby Local Nature Reserve and links from the new road to paths within the planned Derriford Community Park, connecting local residents and road users with the natural environment.

Forder Valley Link Road is a proposed one-kilometer road linking William Prance Road in Derriford and the junction of Forder Valley Road and Novorossiysk Road. The new link will reduce delays between the A38 and Derriford by providing an additional route from the east to the north of the city, avoiding the often heavily congested A38 at the Manadon junction and the A386 Tavistock Road. It will also improve accessibility for vehicles, buses, cyclists and pedestrians to key destinations such as Derriford Hospital, the University of St. Mark and St. John and the Plymouth Science Park.

The current preferred option includes a new link road, supported by a new bridge over Bircham Valley, with an enlarged signalised junction connecting it to the Forder Valley Road and Novorossiysk Road junction. This alternative route to Derriford will relieve congestion at Manadon, provide more reliability on the A386 Tavistock Road when incidents occur and offer more direct routes and improved journey times for buses from the east to the north of the city.

The relocated and enlarged junction as well as widening on Novorossiysk Road, to remove the existing merge south of the Miller Way (Asda) junction, will also reduce congestion and improve traffic flow.

The scheme will offer new walking and cycling facilities throughout, including an on-road cycle lane northbound on the uphill of the new link road, as well as a shared off-road facility to accommodate different types of cyclists travelling at different speeds due to the gradient of the hill. Segregated facilities will also be provided on the southbound section to provide greater separation between pedestrians and faster moving downhill cyclists. Other facilities will also be provided to link into all other approaches to the junction.

The scheme design includes providing recreational land for local residents to enjoy leisure opportunities, land to extend the local nature reserve and links from the new road to paths within the planned Derriford Community Park, connecting local residents and road users with the natural environment.

Subject to funding, construction of the Forder Valley Link Road is expected to get underway around January 2018, with delivery expected to take approximately two years.

Most of the construction will be undertaken away from the existing highway which will help to minimise disruption in this area during the construction period.

People will be able to view and comment on the plans at three consultation events:

• Windsor House, Tavistock Road Saturday 1 October, 10am to 2pm

• Elm Community Centre, Leypark Drive Tuesday 4 October, 10am to 7pm

• Crownhill Library, Cross Park Road Thursday 6 October, 3pm to 7pm

Council officers and members of the design team will be on hand to answer any queries.

The next step for the Forder Valley Link Road will be to develop a business case for approval by the Department for Transport, which has earmarked £22.5m towards the £33.5m scheme. If the plans are approved construction is expected to get under way around January 2018 and take around two years. Most of the construction will take place off the existing highway, minimising disruption.

The improvements at Forder Valley Roundabout are estimated to cost around £7.9 million and a bid for some of this funding has been submitted to Highways England.

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So what do people think?

 I personally think its a good scheme and will make a big difference to the area. The building of this will cause some serious disruption but I think it will be worth it in the long run and open up the Bircham Valley. I live a few hundred yards from the new Forder Valley Junction so will keep a close eye on proceedings and hopefully follow the construction as it happens.

(I must get down there and start taking some ‘before’ pictures)