West of England - Outline Business Case Project Title: A4174/Wraxall Road Roundabout Signal Scheme Project Owner: Richard Gillingham, South Gloucestershire Council Promoter and partners: South Gloucestershire Council Description of Intervention: Wraxall Road Roundabout is located on the A4174 Avon Ring Road in South Gloucestershire south- east of Kingswood and north-west of Cadbury Heath (see below). The northern and southern arms of the roundabout are the dual carriageway A4174. The side-road arms of Wraxall Road Roundabout are Wraxall Road to the west and Tower Lane to the east. A4174/Wraxall Road Roundabout To the north the A4174 continues through the A420 Roundabout that provides access to Kingswood and forms a major arterial route into Bristol. Further north the A4174 continues through the East Fringe to the M32 and the A38 beyond that to the west. The A4174 terminates some 3.6km to the south at Hicks Gate Roundabout at the intersection between the A4174 and the A4 with the latter providing a key strategic route into Brislington and Bristol, to the west, and towards Bath in the east. Wraxall Road Roundabout currently experiences congestion with delays mainly on the side-road arms during the weekday morning peak period of nearly 30 seconds according to journey time data, and delays of over a minute on most approaches during the weekday evening peak period. Delays on the A4174 southbound approach are nearly one and half minutes during this period. There are a number of development sites in the North and East Fringe that are either committed or in the planning process. This includes major development of the Cribbs Patchway New Neighbourhood (CPNN), Charlton Hayes and at Harry Stoke. Whilst some distance from the site, the size of these developments could mean that they will still influence traffic volumes and affect travel behaviour in the vicinity of Wraxall Road Roundabout. In addition, the JSP Plan aims to build approximately 44,000 new homes beyond what has already been committed in the West of England between 2016 and 2036. In order to achieve this, five SDLs West of England - Outline Business Case have been identified where additional large-scale greenfield development is proposed to occur. There are two SDLs that have potential significance in relation to Wraxall Road Roundabout, namely: • Land at Bath Road Brislington, with 750 new homes and mixed-use development and relocation of the Bath Road Park and Ride to land adjacent to Hicks Gate Roundabout; and, • North Keynsham, with 1,500 new homes and 50 hectares of employment floorspace proposed, new local centre, primary school and mixed tenure marina. This represents a total of 2,250 dwellings and 50 hectares of employment land to be located between two and three miles to the south of Wraxall Road Roundabout which is likely to increase demand for travel through the site. As well as land-use development, the Joint Transport Study (JTS), which has been prepared with the aim of providing a long-term direction for the transport system within the West of England up to 2036, also includes a proposal for a new motorway interchange at M4 Junction 18a. This scheme has the potential to significantly increase volumes using this section of the A4174 through providing a more direct link between this part of the A4174 and the M4. Collectively, future land use developments and proposals for the wider highway network are therefore likely to give rise to increased demand for travel on the highway network surrounding Wraxall Road Roundabout. At the same time businesses in the area, such as at the Bristol Bath Science Park, have a reasonable expectation that they will be able to function without the cost of traffic congestion unduly affecting their business operation. The proposed intervention to improve and signalise the roundabout is therefore required because Wraxall Road Roundabout is currently congested and is forecast to operate well in excess of capacity, particularly in the weekday peak periods by 2036. This will progressively cause increased levels of congestion at the roundabout with high levels of queueing and delay. This will act as a constraint to housing and employment growth in the area and increase costs to businesses operating within the area. The proposed scheme consists of modification of the existing uncontrolled roundabout layout to a fully signal-controlled ‘through-about’ arrangement. Specifically, it comprises the following elements: • Widening of the A4174 approaches to three lanes with four lanes at entry with three lanes providing high capacity for the dominant A4174 through-traffic movement; • Provision of a three-lane highway link for A4174 through-traffic across the middle of the roundabout; • A merge on exit arrangement for A4174 through-traffic from three lanes to two over a distance of circa 100m; • Traffic signals at each entry and conflict point would manage the flow of traffic safely and efficiently. The initial layout for the scheme is shown on drawing 673847.BK.36.01-007. The total cost of this scheme is estimated £5.855 million (base year price in 2018). It is expected that construction will start 2020 and be completed by 2022. West of England - Outline Business Case Market Failure (including why the private sector cannot resolve): The West of England is failing to meet its economic potential, and housing and economic growth is sluggish, in part due to the need for improved transport infrastructure. The East Fringe of Bristol is a major economic hub within the region with the Bristol and Bath Science Park situated just north of Wraxall Road Roundabout. There are also two Strategic Development Locations (SDLs) located between two and three miles to the south of Wraxall Road Roundabout representing a total of 2,250 dwellings and 50 hectares of employment land. Wraxall Road Roundabout currently experiences congestion during weekday peak hours, particularly during the evening peak, and is forecast to experience severe congestion in future. The A4174, which passes through the roundabout, is a key strategic route in the Greater Bristol area providing a link between the A4 and Bath in the south to the M32 and the M4. The route also provides access to new housing and employment areas such as the Bristol and Bath Science Park. These congestion problems cannot be mitigated solely through private sector projects; public sector investment is needed as well. The increased capacity of critical pinch-points such as Wraxall Road Roundabout is essential to the development of the region’s infrastructure, to meet the housing and economic growth ambitions. It is therefore proposed that the roundabout be improved in order to increase capacity and facilitate growth. These improvements are proposed for the following reasons: • To reduce congestion, thereby reducing delays and removing barriers to economic growth. State Aid Position The scheme is considered to be state aid compliant in accordance with details provided in the State Aid: The Basics Guide issued by BIS in July 2015. The proposed project is for improvements to an existing roundabout which forms a part of the public highway network. This infrastructure is currently in the ownership of the Local Highway Authority and would remain so following improvements. The proposed improvements would benefit the local highway network and increase network resilience. We advise that WECA seek further legal advice to confirm the above position should they have any concerns in this regard. Rationale including alignment with strategic aims: The Strategic Economic Plan (SEP) prepared by West of England LEP outlines how the region will achieve sustainable economic growth over the plan period. Specifically, the SEP was prepared to support the West of England’s attempts to secure government funding to assist economic development in the region between 2015 and 2021 through the Local Growth Deals initiative. Within this context, the SEP aims to facilitate the creation of more than 25,000 jobs and develop an economy worth around £25bn per year (which also contributes some £10bn to the Treasury annually). The LEP vision is to encourage sustainable economic growth and the creation of substantial numbers of new private sector jobs. The SEP positions the West of England as ‘the city region of choice for a sustainable future’, based on the region’s legacy of innovation, world class university and research facilities, strong visitor economy and high quality of life. The SEP highlights that expansion of these sectors will be driven by a number of ‘levers of growth’, including investment and promotion and places and infrastructure. In particular, infrastructure is presented as a key enabler of growth in the region. The Wraxall Road Roundabout West of England - Outline Business Case capacity improvements would contribute to the LEP vision by improving accessibility and reducing congestion, making the area more attractive to businesses. There are a number of adopted policies in the South Gloucestershire Core Strategy that the Wraxall Road Roundabout signal scheme is geared towards. These being: • Policy CS1 High Quality design – Developments should respect and enhance the character, distinctiveness and amenity of the site and its surroundings. Flood risk, personal safety and the disposal of waste materials should also be considered. • Policy CS5 Location of development – Most new developments will take place within the communities of North and East fringes of Bristol and the development of existing transport improvements such as the delivery of the Greater Bristol Bus Network and the planning for the WoE transport package and future schemes; • Policy CS2 Green Infrastructure - Seeks to ensure that existing and new Green Infrastructure is planned, delivered and managed as an integral part of creating sustainable communities and enhancing quality of life. • Policy CS7 Strategic Transport Infrastructure – Priority will be given to strategic infrastructure proposals that reduce congestion and improve accessibility by transport modes other than private cars.