A46 Coventry junctions upgrade

Latest updates

• 05 April 2024

  Statutory consultation update

  Following our statutory consultation which closed in December 2023, we’ve been analysing your responses. We had around 560 people visit one of our consultation events, either in person or online. Attendees were able to learn more about our designs for the A46 Walsgrave scheme, speak to the project team and share their feedback. During this consultation period we received 229 responses.

  Emma Winter, Project Manager for National Highways, said: “I would like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to our consultation. Your comments will help us further shape the A46 Walsgrave scheme, enabling us to reduce the number of collisions, improve congestion and connectivity in the town and wider region.”

  We’re still in the process of reviewing all your suggestions and comments. Once we’ve done this, we’ll be able to share our summary report which will include key statistics and themes raised during the consultation. We’ll aim to publish this in the summer. The full consultation report, summarising all your responses, and describing how our proposals have been informed and influenced by them, will form part of our Development Consent Order (DCO) application.

  In the meantime, if you have any queries about this scheme, please contact us by calling 0300 123 5000 or emailing A46CoventryJcns@nationalhighways.co.uk.

• 04 March 2024

  Overnight closures for bridge inspection work

  Our team will be carrying out further structural survey works on the Hungerley Hall Farm access bridge which spans the A46 near Walsgrave.

  Due to the specialist machinery needed to carry out this work, overnight closures will be in place between 8pm and 6am. This will ensure the safety of our workforce and to protect motorists.

  Time and date of closure	Closure details
  11 March	A46 northbound closed from   A46/B4082 Walsgrave roundabout to   M6 J2
  12 March	A46 southbound closed from M6 J2 to   A46/B4082 Walsgrave roundabout

  During the road closures we’ll put in place fully signed diversion route which has been agreed with Local Authorities. All carriageways will be open as usual outside our working hours. Below is the diversion route for traffic travelling northbound and southbound. 

  We’ll make every effort to ensure the impact on motorists and the local community is kept to a minimum. We apologies in advance for any inconvenience you may experience and the whole team will make every effort to manage noise levels and minimise disruption to the local area.

• 07 December 2023

  Consultation now closed

  Our public consultation has now closed. We'd like to thank everybody who took the time to provide us with feedback on our proposed design.

  We’ll now review all the suggestions and comments received and we’ll take time to consider your feedback when making further refinements to the proposed design and to develop our planned mitigation measures.

  We’ll set out a summary of the responses received and the themes raised and aim to publish this in March 2024. The full consultation report, summarising all the responses, and describing how our proposals have been informed and influenced by them, will form part of our Development Consent Order (DCO) application. This will be available to the public if our application is accepted by the Planning Inspectorate. We expect to submit our application by autumn 2024 and, if consent is granted, work will start in autumn/winter 2026.

  In addition to this consultation process, we’ll continue to engage with anyone interested in or impacted by the scheme.

  If you have any queries about this scheme please contact the project team directly by calling 0300 123 5000 or emailing A46CoventryJcns@nationalhighways.co.uk

  This short video gives more information about how we develop major road projects and the process we expect to follow to obtain planning permission to build the scheme.

• 28 November 2023

  Overnight closures for bridge inspection work

  Over the next two weeks, our teams will be carrying out structural survey work on the Hungerley Hall Farm access bridge which spans the A46 near Walsgrave.

  Due to the specialist machinery needed to carry out this work, overnight closures will be in place, between 8pm and 6am, to ensure the safety of our workforce and to protect motorists.

  Time and date of closure	Closure details
  5, 6, 7 December	A46 northbound closed from A46/B4082 Walsgrave roundabout to M6 J2
  8, 11, 12 December	A46 southbound closed from M6 J2 to A46/B4082 Walsgrave roundabout

   

  When the roads are closed, we’ll put in place a clearly signed diversion route which has been agreed with Coventry City Council as the most suitable route for both the amount and type of traffic being diverted.

  

  We’ll make every effort to ensure the impact on motorists and to the local community is kept to a minimum. We apologise in advance for any inconvenience you may experience and the whole team will make every effort to manage noise levels and minimise disruption to the local area.

• 13 November 2023

  Statutory consultation launched

  We’re consulting on our proposals for the A46 Coventry junctions (Walsgrave) scheme and want to hear your views on our latest design.

  A46 Coventry junctions (Walsgrave): Preferred route fly through video - visual description.

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  The consultation will run from 25 October until 11.59pm on 6 December 2023.

   

  If you’ve received a letter from us informing you that we have identified you as a Section 42 category 3 landowner or occupier, the consultation period will remain open until 11:59pm on 22 December 2023.

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  Your feedback is important and will continue to help shape the design of the scheme before we submit an application for a Development Consent Order (DCO).

  What you need to know:

  • To find out more about our proposals and the consultation, please see our consultation brochure
  • You can also view our mapbook, which contains a range of technical drawings including General Arrangement plans
  • Our environmental information can be seen in our Preliminary Environmental Information Report (PEIR) or a summarised version in our Non-Technical Summary
  • Share your views and complete our online response form on Citizen Space

  Public consultation events

  One of the best ways to find out more about our proposals is to come to one of our public consultation events.

  We’ll be holding three large in-person events where we’ll be sharing lots of information, including a detailed breakdown of our proposals and large scale maps. You’ll also have the chance to speak to our technical experts, who’ll be available to answer your questions at the locations listed below:

  Venue address	Date and time of event
  Wyken Community Centre, Ennerdale Lane, Coventry, CV2 5PY	Saturday 4 November 2023, 10am to 2pm
  Warwickshire Shopping Park Community Centre, 1c Kynner Way, Binley, Coventry, CV3 2SB	Friday 17 November 2023, 2pm to 8pm
  Brinklow Community Hall, 43 Broad Street, Brinklow, Rugby, CV23 0LS	Thursday 30 November 2023, 2pm to 8pm

   

  Alternatively, we’ll also be holding three smaller pop-up events around Coventry. Although there’ll be less information on display due to the size constraints of the venues, you’ll still be able to pick up a scheme brochure and response form, and speak to some members of our project team:

  Venue address	Date and time of event
  Broadgate, Coventry City Centre (National Highways engagement van)	Thursday 9 November 2023, 10am to 4pm
  Tesco (Walsgrave Superstore), Clifford Bridge Road, Coventry, CV2 2TS	Thursday 16 November 2023, 10am to 2pm
  Coombe Country Park visitor centre, Brinklow Road, Coventry CV3 2AB	Saturday 25 November 2023, 10am to 2pm

  Online event

  Our online event took place at 6pm on Tuesday 7 November. Click below to:

  • download and read a pdf copy of the transcript from the event
  • view a recording of the event 

  Consultation materials

  All of our consultation materials can be viewed online in the 'Consultation 2023' section below.

  Printed copies of our consultation brochure and response form are available free of charge at deposit locations and in-person consultation events throughout the consultation period. The deposit locations are:

  Location	Opening hours
  	Day	Time
  Caludon Castle School and Community Library, Axholme Road, Wyken, Coventry, CV2 5BD	Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday	2pm – 6pm 2pm – 6pm Closed 2pm – 6pm 2pm – 6pm 10am – 4pm Closed
  Coventry Council House, Earl Street, Coventry, CV1 5RR	Monday to Friday Saturday Sunday	9am – 5pm Closed Closed
  Rugby Borough Council, Town Hall, Evreux Way, Rugby, CV21 2RR	Monday to Friday Saturday Sunday	9am – 5pm Closed Closed
  Warwickshire County Council, Shire Hall, Warwick, CV34 4RL	Monday to Friday Saturday Sunday	8am – 6.30pm 9am – 1pm Closed
  Willenhall Library, Hagard Community Space, Remembrance Road, Coventry, CV3 3DG	Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday	10am – 7pm 10am – 7pm Closed 10am – 7pm 10am – 7pm 9am – 4pm Closed
  Wolston Library and Information Centre, Warwick Road, Wolston, Coventry, CV8 3GX	Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday	2.30pm to 5pm 2.30pm to 5pm 2.30pm to 5pm 10.30am to 1pm 10.30am to 1pm 10.30am to 1pm Closed

   

  The opening times of these deposit locations may be subject to change due to circumstances out of our control. If in doubt, please contact a location before visiting.

  How to respond to our consultation

  • Complete our response form online via Citizen Space
  • Email your response to: A46CoventryJcns@nationalhighways.co.uk
  • Send a completed response form or letter to: Freepost A46 WALSGRAVE SCHEME

  For further information about the scheme or the consultation, please contact us using the scheme email address A46CoventryJcns@nationalhighways.co.uk or call our Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000.

• 19 October 2023

  Statutory consultation coming soon…

  We’re planning to hold a statutory consultation on the A46 Coventry junctions (Walsgrave) scheme from 25 October to 6 December 2023.
  
  We'll also be holding consultation events throughout the consultation period where you can speak to members of our project team about the scheme. More information and our consultation materials and events will be available from Wednesday 25 October on this webpage.

  If you have any queries, please email: A46CoventryJcns@nationalhighways.co.uk.

• 03 February 2023

  Binley junction upgrade now complete

  Our upgrade to Binley Junction, part of our work on the vital A46 route near Coventry is now complete. It means that drivers travelling along the length of the A46 will no longer need to slow down to use the roundabout, reducing congestion and making journeys safer and more reliable.

  The improvements have included:

  • the construction of a new dual carriageway flyover above the existing roundabout
  • the construction of new northbound and southbound on and off slip roads
  • upgraded access for pedestrians and cyclists, providing safer and improved access underneath the new flyover
  • installing a toucan crossing along the A428, underneath the new flyover

  

  Work started in 2020 with utility services diverted around the area, ensuring essential supplies to nearby residents and businesses were maintained. In early 2021 we moved traffic in to narrow lanes, creating space and allowing us to safely modify the existing carriageway and start building four new slip roads. Over two weekends in December 2021, specialist engineers carried out work to lift 32 steel beams – with a combined weight of 720 tonnes - into place to form the new flyover – a huge milestone for the project!

  In July 2022 we were able to open complete the flyover, ensuring it opened in time for the 2022 Commonwealth Games, with all slip roads fully open to motorists and road closures around the flyover lifted in November 2022.

  Chair of Binley Woods Parish Council, Paul Salisbury said: “The completion of the new flyover is a real game-changer for local people. The movement of vehicles around the old junction was chaotic so it’s great to see the new layout open to traffic and it means through traffic can now stay on the A46.

  We’re keen to see work progress at Walsgrave junction as this will make journeys even smoother for drivers using the A46.”

  Roads Minister Richard Holden, who attended the ceremony, said:

  “National Highways’ upgrade of this vital section on the A46 will help families, businesses and commuters across Coventry, Rugby and Warwickshire have safe and reliable journeys.

  “This was an enormous piece of work and I extend my thanks to everyone who worked on it and to the local community for their ongoing patience."

  

  Throughout the duration of the project, we were committed to investing locally. Our compound offices, constructed by local company Innovare Systems, were an industry first. Made from a timber panel system, the building provided high thermal performance and airtightness. This highly insulated and cost effective building was extremely energy efficient and provided a low carbon footprint.

  Beechwood Trees and Landscapes Ltd, located less than a mile from the site, were also one of the first contractors on site.

  

  We’ve worked closely with local residents and businesses to ensure disruption has been kept to a minimum. We also wanted to ensure we made a difference to the local community. The scheme has helped parish councils and community groups in a variety of ways:

  • We’ve supported Coventry Foodbank, part of the @Trussell Trust. Throughout the duration of the project we made regular contributions including a massive 165kg donation in October 2022.
  • Through a £35,000 cash injection from our designated funds programme, we’ve helped protect and improve access to Piles Coppice, an ancient woodland close to the project, by replacing damaged fencing and installing new bollards
  • We worked alongside volunteers at Warwickshire Wildlife and took part in a litter pick at Brandon Marsh Nature Reserve, near to the scheme. We were also supported on the day by volunteers at Midland Langar Seva Society (MLSS) who provided the team with food and drinks. Since 2014 MLSS have been supporting communities in Coventry, serving over 3,000 meals per week. Find out more information about them here: https://midlandlangarseva.org/

  One of our objectives for our upgrade scheme at Binley junction was to ensure there was minimal impact on the natural and built environment. The scheme was planned and managed to reduce or eliminate any adverse impacts on species of interest and their habitats, particularly within the local nature reserves that bordered the scheme.

  We built two new ponds to provide natural pollution control and act as sustainable urban drainage for water run-off. These ponds have been carefully landscaped and planted up to provide a habitat for wildlife including amphibians and reptiles.

  

  Barriers alongside the new northbound entry slip road aid in protecting local housing from the impacts of the road and close board fencing on the southbound entry slip road provides screening to nearby Piles Coppice.

  All landscaping uses native vegetation found in the local area to encourage wildlife and provide a green corridor linking the scheme to adjacent protected habitats.

  We’ve also helped deliver a sustainable project by:

  • using hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) fuel in battery generators on site, reducing carbon emissions by 97%
  • using hydrogen and battery tower lights to reduce noise and air pollution
  • landscaping using native vegetation found in the local area to encourage wildlife
  • installing new low-energy LED lighting across the scheme

  We were delighted to welcome all of our guests, including Transport Minister Richard Holden, to our opening ceremony on Friday 3 February.

  We celebrated the achievements of the project and those who have worked on it along with highlighting the work we’ve done in our local community over the last three years. Guests were able to learn how the flyover was built with presentations by staff from National Highways and our delivery integration partners at Octavius.

  Click here to view a copy of our opening ceremony celebration brochure.

  Below are more images from the opening ceremony:

  

  

  

  

• 28 November 2022

  Upgrade scheme nears completion

  Our upgrade scheme at Binley junction is nearing completion and from 10pm tonight, we'll begin to lift road closures around the new flyover. From 6am tomorrow morning (Tuesday 29 November) all adjoining slip roads will be fully open to motorists.

  Work will still be taking place at the junction over the coming weeks with some overnight closures planned while our teams complete the final stages of the project. A clearly signed diversion route for affected traffic during the remaining works will be in place.

  

• 23 September 2022

  Notice of slip road closures: A46 Binley roundabout

  We’re now entering the final phase of works on Binley roundabout as we head up to the completion of works in November.

  We still have some finishing work to do which includes updating traffic signals, finalising work to vehicle safety barriers, signs and road markings and moving the slip roads onto the final alignment with the dual carriageway.

  To complete these safely, we'll ll be closing the northbound exit and southbound entry sliproads on the A46 at Binley from Monday 26 September. During these closures, clearly signed diversion routes for affected traffic will be in place. This means:

  • traffic travelling north intending to exit at Binley will need to continue to Walsgrave Island and return back on the A46, using the southbound exit slip to continue their journey.

  • local traffic entering the roundabout from the A428 will need to join the A46 northbound and travel to Walsgrave Island, returning back southbound. Please note there is no right turn to enter the northbound sliproad if travelling westbound on the A428. Drivers will need to continue to the next roundabout (B&Q) and then turn back.

  To allow us to put these closures in place, both carriageways of the A46 between Tollbar and Walsgrave and the roundabout at Binley itself will be closed from 8pm on Sunday 25 September until 6am on Monday 26 September. Travel between Binley Woods and Coventry on the A428 will not be possible during this period and a clearly signed diversion route will be in place.

  

  

• 07 September 2022

  A46 Binley junction upgrade - summer 2022 newsletter

  Find out the latest scheme updates in our summer 2022 newsletter. You can learn how the scheme has been progressing since our last update and read more what we've been doing as we head up to the completion of the scheme at Binley later this year.

   

  

• 27 July 2022

  A46 Binley Flyover opens

  

  The new 14,000-tonne flyover that separates long distance and local traffic on the A46 at Binley will open on Friday 29 July. It means that drivers travelling along the length of the A46 will no longer need to slow down to use the roundabout, reducing congestion and making journeys safer.

  Drivers using the new road for the first time are being advised that there is a temporary 40 mph speed limit in place with two lanes running in each direction while some remaining work takes place elsewhere on the structure. 

  Work will still be taking place at Binley in two phases until Autumn 2022 with slip road closures required while teams complete the final stages of the project. Clearly signed diversion routes for affected traffic will be in place.

  From Monday 1 August the northbound entry slip and southbound exit slip will be closed. This means:

  • traffic travelling south intending to exit at Binley will need to continue to Toll Bar Island and return back on the A46, using the northbound Binley exit slip to continue their journey.
  • local traffic entering the roundabout from the A428 east or westbound and intending to travel north on the A46 will need to join the A46 southbound and travel to Toll Bar Island, returning back northbound.

  

  In September the northbound exit slip and southbound entry slip will then be closed. This means:

  • traffic travelling north intending to exit at Binley will need to continue to Walsgrave Island and return back on the A46, using the southbound exit slip to continue their journey.
  • local traffic entering the roundabout from the A428 will need to join the A46 northbound and travel to Walsgrave Island, returning back southbound. Please note there is no right turn to enter the northbound sliproad if travelling westbound on the A428. Drivers will need to continue to the next roundabout (B&Q) and then turn back.

  

• 14 June 2022

  Preferred Route Announcement

  Alongside our ongoing work to upgrade Binley junction, we’ve been assessing various options to upgrade the junction at Walsgrave. Our work showed that only one option was viable and could deliver the required improvements at the junction.

  Between January 2022 and February 2022, we held a public consultation on this viable option, known as Option 11. We also shared detail on the discounted options and explained why these were not viable.

  The feedback received during the consultation showed support for improvements at Walsgrave junction and support for Option 11 and we are therefore taking this scheme to the next stage of design development.

  You can find out more about the preferred route in our brochure

  What option 11 looks like

  

  Option 11 would provide a fully grade separated junction approximately 800m north of the existing A46 Walsgrave junction. Exit and entry slip roads would be provided on both the north and southbound carriageway allowing full connection to the local road network. 

  The junction would be in a dumbbell layout with the slip roads connecting to a roundabout on each side of the carriageway with the roundabouts connected via an overbridge.

  A number of comments were raised in response to the consultation, which we’ll investigate further at the next stage of design. These include:

  • access to University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire
  • walking and cycling provision
  • a proposed 50mph speed limit
  • the impact on local road network

  What happens next

  Now we have announced our preferred route, we’ll undertake the next stage of design development. This is when we’ll develop more detail on the highway structures and overall design. It’s also when the next stages of environmental assessments are completed and we’ll look at the steps we can take to reduce any environmental impacts. During this stage of the scheme, we’ll hold another public consultation, giving you the opportunity to comment on a more developed proposal.

• 19 January 2022

  Watch how 32 giant steel beams were lifted into place to form a flyover at Binley junction

  This new time-lapse footage shows the moment huge steel beams were lifted into place to form a flyover at Binley junction. 

  Specialist teams carried out the work over two weekends in December, using a 750-tonne crane to lift 32 beams - with a combined weight of 720 tonnes - into place. 

   

  This work is part of our £61 million investment to transform Binley junction by building a flyover to separate long distance and local traffic. This means drivers staying on the A46 will no longer need to slow down to use the roundabout, reducing congestion and making journeys safer.

  If you’d like more information about the A46 Coventry junctions upgrade scheme you can contact us by:

  • emailing A46CoventryJcns@highwaysengland.co.uk
  • calling 0300 123 5000 (this line is available 24 hours a day)