July 2015 M5 JUNCTION 25 MSBC OPTION ASSESSMENT REPORT Somerset County Council 287584D-PTE Final M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report 287584D-PTE Prepared for Somerset County Council County Hall Taunton Somerset TA1 4DY Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff The Forum Barnfield Road Exeter Devon EX1 1QR www.pbworld.com Report Title : M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report Report Status : Final Job No : 287584D-PTE Date : July 2015 DOCUMENT HISTORY AND STATUS Document control Checked by Prepared by Kerry Hellewell Richard Sweet (technical) Checked by Approved by Ian Beavis Richard Sweet (quality assurance) Revision details Pages Version Date Comments affected September 1 ALL Initial draft for comments. (ND/IB) 2014 September 2 ALL Final draft including comments from SCC. 2014 November 3 ALL Further draft incorporating comments from ITA 2014 December Further revisions to incorporate comments from ITA not 4 ALL 2014 addressed in v3 (KH/RWS) 5 May 2015 ALL Minor changes from SCC. 6 July 2015 10, 24 Final – last comments from ITA incorporated AUTHORISATION SHEET Client: Somerset County Council Project: M5 Junction 25 MSBC Address: County Hall, Taunton, Somerset, TA1 4DY PREPARED BY Name: Kerry Hellewell Position: Senior Transportation Planner Date: December 2014 AGREED BY Name: Richard Sweet Position: Principal Engineer Date: July 2015 AUTHORISED FOR ISSUE Name: Ian Beavis Position: Associate Date: July 2015 DISTRIBUTION ACCEPTED BY Name: Sunita Mills Position: Service Commissioning Manager: Transport Policy Date: July 2015 M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report CONTENTS Page 1 INTRODUCTION 3 1.1 Overview 3 1.2 Purpose of Report 3 1.3 Location and Description of Area of Study 3 1.4 Other Reports 5 2 CURRENT AND FUTURE TRANSPORT ISSUES 6 2.1 Description of Transport Network 6 2.2 Future Development Growth 14 2.3 Policy Context 15 2.4 Future Transport Network Operation without Intervention 16 3 OBJECTIVES FOR FUTURE IMPROVEMENTS 19 4 STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT 21 4.1 Engagement Completed 21 4.2 Public Consultation 21 4.3 Consultation on Associated Schemes 22 4.4 Future Stakeholder Engagement 22 5 OVERVIEW OF OPTIONS CONSIDERED 23 5.1 Method for Option Generation 23 5.2 Summary of Options Considered 24 5.3 Assessment of Options 31 5.4 Preferred Options 33 5.5 Preferred Option for Detailed Assessment 35 6 CONCLUSIONS 36 M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff May 2015 for Somerset County Council M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Overview 1.1.1 This Options Assessment Report (OAR) supports a proposal to improve M5 Junction 25 in Taunton. Somerset County Council is promoting this scheme and it has been selected by the Heart of the South West Local Transport Board (HotSW LTB) as one of a number of initial schemes that will be considered for funding during the period 2015 to 2019. 1.1.2 The HotSW LTB is managing the devolved major local transport scheme funding for the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership area. 1.1.3 It is anticipated that an outline business case for the scheme will be submitted for consideration by the board in July 2015. The business case will demonstrate the suitability of the scheme for progression and funding. 1.2 Purpose of Report 1.2.1 The production of an OAR forms Stage 1 of the Transport Appraisal Process outlined in WebTAG. It identifies the need for a transport intervention and describes the process of option development and selection that has been undertaken1. 1.2.2 The key aims of the OAR are as follows: · To present evidence of the problems and challenges · To state the study objectives and intended outcomes · To define the future ‘without intervention’ scenario · To document the process of option generation, sifting and assessment · Identify the option(s) to be taken forward for more detailed appraisal at Stage 2 1.2.3 The report has been developed following advice from the Independent Transport Adviser (ITA) and is in accordance with ‘HotSW LTB – Advice for Local Authorities on the Structure for an Options Assessment Report’. 1.2.4 Should the preferred scheme option(s) be taken forward an Appraisal Specification Report will be prepared and agreed with the ITA before the Outline Business Case is produced. 1.3 Location and Description of Area of Study 1.3.1 Taunton is the county town of Somerset and acts as the major administrative, economic, cultural and retail centre within the County. The town lies at the heart of the South West region and has a resident population of 65,000 people. Health, education and leisure services are all significant within the town. 1.3.2 The town lies in a strategic location between Exeter and Bristol, with good motorway and rail links to both cities. Despite these opportunities for out-commuting self- containment is relatively high with 72% of employed residents working in the town2. 1 The Transport Appraisal Process, WebTAG (January 2014) M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff May 2015 for Somerset County Council - 3 - M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report 1.3.3 The M5 motorway passes to the east of Taunton and provides a key point of access to the town via Junction 25. In addition to its local access function, Junction 25 is a key part of the regional transport network because it provides a link between the M5 motorway and the A303/A30 strategic route from Exeter to London. 1.3.4 The junction also provides direct access to Blackbrook Business Park which is a major employment site accommodating a number of large businesses and a hotel. A further employment site and retail park (Hankridge Farm) is located close to the junction (off the A358 Toneway corridor) and provides a number of large retail and leisure outlets including a Sainsburys superstore and petrol filling station. 1.3.5 A new Strategic Employment Site is proposed (in the draft Taunton Deane Site Allocations and Development Management Plan) for land to the east of Junction 25 and it is anticipated that this development would provide a large number of new jobs and significant opportunities for Taunton and the wider South West region. 1.3.6 A Park and Ride site (1,000 spaces) is located to the east of the junction and provides a frequent bus service into the centre of Taunton and on to Musgrove Park Hospital and Somerset College. 1.3.7 Figure 1 below illustrates the area of study and shows the location of these sites. Hankridge Farm M5 North Park & Ride A358 East Blackbrook Business Park Strategic Employment Site M5 South © Crown Copyright and database right (2014). Ordnance Survey 100038382 Figure 1 – Scheme location plan 2 Based on analysis of 2011 Census data. M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff May 2015 for Somerset County Council - 4 - M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report 1.4 Other Reports 1.4.1 A number of reports have been referred to during the development of this OAR including the following: · Taunton Deane Core Strategy (adopted 2012) · Taunton Deane Site Allocations and Development Management Plan (draft) · Bridgwater, Taunton and Wellington Future Transport Strategy · Somerset Future Transport Plan · Somerset Growth Plan · Heart of the South West Strategic Economic Plan · Value of a Second Strategic Employment Site (PBA, 2013) 1.4.2 Should the scheme be taken forward to the next stage of appraisal, this OAR will eventually form part of a wider set of reports which will form the Outline Business Case for the scheme. These reports will be as follows: · Appraisal Specification Report – outlines how the economic, environmental and operational assessments will be undertaken. · Traffic Modelling Reports (e.g. LMVR, Forecasting Report) – details the development of the traffic model and outlines the methodology for developing future year traffic forecasts. · Economic Assessment Report – details the approach taken to assess the monetised costs and benefits of the scheme. · Appraisal Summary Table (AST) Report – outlines the methodology for completing the AST table and the source for all entries. M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff May 2015 for Somerset County Council - 5 - M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report 2 CURRENT AND FUTURE TRANSPORT ISSUES 2.1 Description of Transport Network Highway Network 2.1.1 Junction 25 is a large 5-arm grade separated roundabout with a 3-lane circulatory carriageway beneath the motorway mainline (Figure 2). The motorway off-slip arms operate under full time signal control to reduce traffic queuing back onto the motorway at peak times. Imagery, Google Earth (© 2014 Google, © 2014 Getmapping plc) Figure 2 – Aerial photograph of M5 Junction 25 (image taken 2009) 2.1.2 To the east of the junction there is a signalised junction with Ruishton Lane which also forms the access to the Park and Ride site. The A358 is single carriageway here, with two westbound lanes and a single eastbound lane (restricted by the structure over the Blackbrook watercourse). There is a merge-in-turn in the eastbound direction immediately after the exit from Junction 25, and this is a source of congestion at peak times. East of the Park and Ride junction the road widens to two lanes in both directions but reduces back to a single lane through Henlade village; also a source of congestion at peak times. Beyond Henlade village the A358 extends south east and connects with the A303 at Ilminster. 2.1.3 To the west of Junction 25 the A358 is a dual carriageway (known as the Toneway corridor) which provides access to the Taunton urban area. Along this corridor there is a roundabout junction that provides access to the Hankridge Farm retail park and a M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report Prepared by Parsons Brinckerhoff May 2015 for Somerset County Council - 6 - M5 Junction 25 MSBC Option Assessment Report large signalised crossroads junction that links the A358 with the A38 route to Bridgwater.