Junction set to close in £2m scheme to tackle notorious Cundy Cross bottleneck

Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council has submitted a business case to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, requesting £2m for improvements at Cundy Cross.

BMBC say the funding is needed to redesign the junction where Pontefract Road meets Grange Lane, which has been operating ‘over capacity’.

At peak times, long tailbacks stretch as far as Stairfoot Roundabout, causing junctions along the route to become blocked.

Council documents say the existing layout contributes to long queues, poor bus reliability and delays for drivers and pedestrians.

The plans will see the traffic light controlled junction at Cundy Cross redesigned to widen lanes. Footways along the route will also be widened and realigned, while parts of the laybys on Grange Lane will be removed to make way for extra lanes.

At the Meadow View junction, traffic signals will be removed to give priority to vehicles travelling on Rotherham Road. Meanwhile, the Lang Avenue junction will be closed altogether to improve traffic flow.

A report to the SYMCA states that the ‘junction which is already working way over its theoretical capacity, which results in long queues and delays. If this scheme does not go ahead, the existing levels of congestion are likely to be exacerbated as car usage and road-based movements increase’.

‘The highway network currently suffers from congestion, especially in the morning and evening peak. Current and future congestion and its impact on the A628 / B6462 corridor as well as relatively poor public transport currently result in a significant constraint in the labour market and future job opportunities’.

The funding will be decided during a meeting of the SYMCA on June 24.