Kingswood junction upgrade to make cycling safer and improve traffic flow

A roundabout in Kingswood will be improved early next year. It is to help traffic flow and make travel safer for cyclists and pedestrians. 

New sections of off-road cycle track will be created at the Wawne Road Kesteven Way roundabout. This is along with 'parallel crossings', which are similar to zebra crossings. They include a designated area to allow cyclists to cross with the same level of priority as pedestrians.

To improve traffic flow at the roundabout, Wawne Road will be widened from one lane to 3 marked traffic lanes on the northbound approach.

The improvements are designed to support future housing development. This is as a part of the Kingswood Area Action Plan, which was adopted in September 2016.

A transport assessment carried out by Hull City Council looked at the potential impact the remaining planned development in Kingswood would have on traffic. It looked at what improvements to the road network would be needed.

The assessment identified several key junctions that required improvement. It includes the Wawne Road Kesteven Way roundabout.

Councillor Mark Ieronimo, Portfolio Holder for Transportation, Roads and Highways, said -

These improvements will benefit motorists, cyclists and pedestrians and support further development in Kingswood.

In order to reduce congestion in the city, as well as tackle climate change, it is important to encourage more people to take up active travel methods such as cycling.

By making cycling safer in our communities, we can hopefully get more people into the habit of making shorter journeys by bike.

The work is expected to take about to take 12 weeks to complete. The council intends to begin on site towards the end of January.

For the first 3 weeks, a section of Wawne Road will be closed. This is to allow the carriageway widening works to be undertaken. A local diversion will be in place.

Access for residents and to Kingswood Academy will be maintained.

The estimated cost of the works is £220,000. The scheme is funded from the council’s Highways Capital Programme.

A decision record has been published today. It authorises the council to begin a tender process to find a contractor to carry out the work.