Major works at the city’s most confusing intersection are now complete

A MAJOR £10.4 million program to improve one of Leicester’s most confusing junctions and its connecting roads is now complete.

Leicester City Council has undertaken a major redevelopment of the Fiveways junction in North West Leicester to modernize and improve the busy route for all road users.

Work to reconfigure and refurbish the main junction linking Blackbird Road, Woodgate, Fosse Road North, Groby Road and Buckminster Road was completed last autumn.

This made the intersection simpler for drivers, easier for pedestrians to cross, safer for cyclists and improved the important route for buses.

And now, the final phase of works on Woodgate and Northgate Street has finished, bringing almost sixteen months of carefully planned roadworks to a close.

Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “For many years Fiveways has been one of the most confusing junctions in the city. It was complicated for drivers, a daunting proposition for cyclists and a bottleneck that caused delays for local bus services.

“This major investment has simplified the junction for drivers, made it much safer for pedestrians and cyclists and will allow buses to travel faster on this route, as well as making the area a more attractive place for residents.

“The ambitious program of improvements will also help ensure that this busy and important part of our transport network is able to accommodate the city’s predicted growth for decades to come.”

Martin Fletcher, Leicester City Council’s director of highways, said: “We are very grateful to the public for bearing with us as we delivered this complex and ambitious improvement scheme.

“We have worked to keep disruption and road closures to a minimum and I am pleased that we have been able to complete the work schedule on time.

“The investment in Fiveways and its link roads completes what is a major set of traffic improvements across the whole of North West Leicester – it is the final piece of the puzzle.”

The A50/Fiveways improvement scheme cost £10.4m and was paid for through a combination of Enterprise Zone funding through the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP) and the Transforming Cities Fund, following the city council’s successful bid for £32 million from the second tranche of funding. for an ambitious package of works focused on major improvements to sustainable transport, including improved walking, cycling and bus routes.

The transformation of Fiveways and its link roads links directly to other major schemes funded through the Transforming Cities Fund, including recent improvements to Anstey Lane, Abbey Park Road and the A6 St Margaret’s Way and Abbey Lane.

It also builds on work carried out since 2018 as part of the multi-million pound investment in the Major Leicester North West Transport Project, which has improved links between the city, key developments such as Ashton Green and up to at the western bypass of the city. , the A46 and A50 corridors.

It is anticipated that this will help reduce the volume of traffic using Woodgate and Frog Island – at the heart of the Waterside development – ​​by up to 30% over the coming years, helping to significantly improve traffic flow and reduce congestion.

And people can now have their say on new artwork designs to decorate boards opposite the Woodgate Resources Center by choosing their three favorite designs from Leicester-based street art specialists Graffwerk.

To view the models and take part, visit www.leicester.gov.uk/consultations

The deadline for comments is Sunday 26 May.