£42m plan to expand Sheffield Parkway to three lanes

Plans to expand the Sheffield Parkway to three lanes in a bid to ease congestion have been unveiled.
The Parkway, Sheffield, United Kingdom on 28 June 2016. Photo by Glenn Ashley PhotographyThe Parkway, Sheffield, United Kingdom on 28 June 2016. Photo by Glenn Ashley Photography
The Parkway, Sheffield, United Kingdom on 28 June 2016. Photo by Glenn Ashley Photography

It is intended that £42m would be spent on widening the busy road for a mile from its junction with the M1.

Funding for the scheme has been identified and business bosses believe that if the plans are approved by the Department for Transport it could cut the huge queues that build up at rush hour, improve air quality and boost the economy by cutting journey times.

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The proposal put forward by the Local Enterprise Partnership representing nine local councils in the Sheffield City Region would widen the A630 all the way from Junction 33 to the Advanced Manufacturing Park at Catcliffe.

Council bosses say they are still a ‘long way’ from the £42m scheme becoming a reality, despite money from the Sheffield City Region’s Growth Deal being earmarked for the work.

The work would include widening three bridges and changes to the motorway roundabout ‘to deliver capacity enhancements along this critical transport corridor’.

But before the scheme can go ahead Rotherham Council officials have a business case approved by the Department for Transport.

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Rotherham Council’s strategic director of regeneration and environment Damien Wilson said: “Funding for the schemes has been identified in the Sheffield City Region’s Growth Deal, which will see a number of infrastructure projects supported, including better transport links in the lower Don Valley area.

“Although the Growth Deal funding will enable the council and other partners to deliver a number of the key programmes within the Sheffield City Region, the council is still a long way from making any decisions on these particular schemes, and any proposals would be subject to full consultation.”

The scheme is one of the largest earmarked for funding from the Sheffield City Region Investment Fund, which aims to pay for infrastructure to boost economic growth and jobs.

In Doncaster, £20m is set to be used on a facelift for the town centre including the Waterfront, Colonnades and station areas.

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In Chesterfield, £2.8m is being spent on an access road and fence around the planned £400m Peak Resort.

The huge project is set to create 400 construction jobs and employ 1,300 when completed in late 2018.