Main road near Barnsley town centre to be widened to improve journey times and reduce congestion

If approved, a 400m section of Wakefield Road will be widened by 7.5m, to provide four lanes rather than the existing three.

The Wakefield Road carriageway between the Carlton Road and Smithies Lane junction will be widened to accommodate four traffic lanes including two right turn lanes.

The scheme would also replace the pedestrian crossing at theSmithies Lane junction with a staggered crossing.

The existing footpaths on both sides of the road will be retained, and a new pull in at the bus stop on the south bound side will be added, making it easier for other vehicles to overtake stationary buses heading in the direction of Barnsley Town Centre.

The development would result in the loss of 13 car parking spaces from the commercial use car parks to the south east – 10 from the pet supplies shop and four from the KFC car park.

A report by planning officer states that the stretch currently suffers from congestion, significant delay and journey time variation for buses and general traffic.

Planning officers state: “The improvementworks are not anticipated to generate additional traffic but to allow the existing traffic to flow through the area better, as such, arguably the proposed works would be of benefit to local residents and neighbouring land users.”

Seven objections were submitted, with concerns raised around noise and delays during construction, loss of land, and ‘negative impact on access to existing businesses’.

The scheme is set for approval at Barnsley Council’s next planning board meeting on April 11.