Major revamp for busy Sheffield street

The money will be spent on improving Broadfield Road junction and widening the road on the A61 corridor to provide an extra lane for traffic along Broadfield Road and London Road.

The council says the scheme will help relieve congestion and improve journey times. The greatest benefit will be for drivers travelling into the city centre during the morning rush hour.

The Department for Transport is giving Sheffield £3.3m and the council will provide match funding of £1.4m through its highways maintenance PFI works under the Streets Ahead contract.

The council says the scheme takes advantage of the adjacent Streets Ahead highways maintenance works and links in with local “Better Bus” improvement schemes nearby.

In a report to councillors, officers say: “A secondary benefit will be the unlocking of a potential mixed use development site that is currently masked by redundant buildings.

“The project will make a small but positive contribution to air quality standards through reduced congestion and smoother traffic flow.

“The scheme will improve the into-city route for confident cyclists who are comfortable riding on busy roads by increasing the amount of road space available for all users.

“The needs of less confident cyclists will be accommodated on quieter routes that run parallel to London Road such as the Saxon Road and Little London Road route.”

Council bosses have warned they may need to compulsory purchase land or property as a last resort.

They say: “Land acquisition is a key issue as the scheme requires purchase of the existing frontage properties and a corner of the development site behind. The intention is to acquire, by agreement, all affected land. Informal, early discussions and negotiations are now underway.”

The timescale for construction is to start on-site no later than March 2019 with completion by March 2020. Sheffield Council's Cabinet is set to approve the scheme at a meeting on Wednesday.