Delays in opening of city’s new link road
THE long-awaited opening of Plymouth’s congestion-busting Forder Valley Link Road has been pushed back until early 2023.
Plymouth City Council says it is unable to allow drivers on to the major new ‘Platinum Parkway’ A38 link until Persimmon Homes has carried out widening works where it joins Pintail Way, to provide two northbound lanes and a southbound lane.
The council says the housing developer has encountered a number of ‘challenges’, meaning the work could not be finished by October and now anticipates it being done by February.
Construction of the state-of-the-art new route linking the north of the city to the rest of Plymouth finished in September 2022, and it was originally hoped it would open in the autumn.
The roundabout at the top of Pintail Way is also being upgraded to a signalised junction with pedestrian crossings, and the eastbound side of the connecting section with William Prance Road will be widened to create a second lane.
Between now and early spring, the council will also be advertising a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to make the current closure of Blunts Lane a permanent arrangement.
The road has been temporarily closed to traffic during construction works and during this time local residents have asked to keep the restriction in place permanently.
The council said in a statement that it recently consulted residents, business and allotment holders nearby and there was strong support for this option.
It said that 92% of respondents supported the permanent closure, while maintaining access to properties and land accessed directly from the lane.
Cllr Jonathan Drean, Cabinet member for transport, said: “Persimmon Homes had hoped to complete these vital works by October but they have encountered a number of challenges. We know people will be disappointed by this setback but we cannot open the new road safely until their works have been delivered.
“We have been in regular contact with Persimmon Homes to ensure they are progressing the works as quickly as possible, while also meeting the conditions of their planning permission. We look forward to being able to open the new road early next year, providing a much-needed and long-awaited link between the A38 and Derriford.”
A Persimmon Homes spokesperson said: “Throughout this scheme we’ve worked closely with Plymouth City Council, and we will continue to do so as we work to complete the road by February. We recognise the importance of the new Forder Valley Link Road to the local community, and while we have encountered supply chain issues that have caused delay to the signalised crossings and northern junction, we are determined to do all we can to complete it by February.”
The stretch of Forder Valley Road between Novorossiysk Road and Fort Austin Avenue reopened at the end of March. According to the city council, the junction will operate under twoway, rather than three-way, traffic lights, which means drivers will not be waiting for as long at a red light and traffic flow will be improved.