Date set for opening of Barnsley’s Penny Pie Park gyratory

The controversial scheme will see a new gyratory through Penny Pie Park in a bid to ease congestion from J37 of the M1 into the town centre, and will open to traffic on January 14.

The council say that journey times into the town centre have almost trebled in less than two decades, from a morning rush hour average of ten minutes in 2000 to around 27 minutes today, and a ‘long-term’ solution is needed.

Pogmoor Road will be closed overnight from the railway bridge to Garden Court, from January 11 to January 14.

It will be closed from 8pm to 5am for road surfacing, and traffic will be diverted.

Councillor Tim Cheetham, cabinet spokesperson for place (regeneration and culture), said: “To date, most of the construction works for this scheme have been contained within the site boundary to create the gyratory.

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“During January 2022, the scheme will enter the final phases; there will be more activity seen off-site due to the partial opening of the gyratory.

“Works will include connecting the existing road to the new gyratory. To enable this to happen, the gyratory will be opened in phases that will coincide with the switching on of the new traffic controls during the spring.

“The council would like to thank residents in advance for their patience and understanding as we approach the most complex and final phases of works.

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“We look forward to the completion of the project, which is vital to support our future business and housing growth plans, and improve access to our new town centre.”

An extra £3m for the project was granted in October 2020, taking the cost of the scheme to £7.4m.