PARKGATE PARK & RIDE AND NEW LINK ROAD

Published 20 August 2021 at 1:43pm

Status: Under construction.

Expected completion: winter 2024/2025.

Indicative cost: £12,898,000 (£12.9m), as of 1 November 2024.

Main funding stream: Transforming Cities Fund (£11.5m), with additional funding from CRSTS, Rotherham Council and other local funds.

Delivery and other partners: Rotherham Council, Parkgate Shopping Centre.

Contractor: Tillbury Douglas.

Description

Link Road. The configuration of the local road network results in high traffic volumes on the A633 from both strategic and local traffic. High traffic volumes combined with a large number of junctions and accesses in Parkgate results in significant congestion and slow journey times for general traffic and buses at peak times.

A package of complementary measures will address significant congestion in the area particularly along the A633 which is a key bus route linking major employment and retail opportunities in Rotherham town centre, Parkgate, Rawmarsh and the Dearne Valley. The congestion is mainly due to the large retail park at Parkgate which generates large volumes of traffic, has only one entrance and exit from the A633 and is in close proximity to the major A633/A6123 roundabout. This has a major effect on bus journey times and reliability and has been raised as a major concern by bus operators.

A new link road into the retail park will form an alternative connection the A6123, and relieve traffic on the A633. The package of measures will result in much more reliable bus services along the key A633 corridor, improve bus journey times during peak periods, encourage economic growth at Parkgate and provide improved access to tram train and the major urban centres of Rotherham and Sheffield. Much of this corridor is located within Air Quality Management Areas, including the city-wide AQMA in Sheffield.

The scheme will also improve resilience on the highway network as at present when incidents occur on the A633 they can cause significant disruption to traffic, resulting in longer journey times and congestion due to limited alternative routes available.

Park & Ride. As part of the design development of the Rotherham Parkgate Link Road project, an opportunity has arisen to include a 289-space Park & Ride site close to the retail park and existing Tram Train stop. Both Rotherham MBC and the developer (Stadium) are supportive of this proposal.

The P&R will include 8 motorcycle bays. There will be 14 electric vehicle charging points at the site, and cycle storage space.

Completed project stages

We asked for people's views to help shape our proposals for the Parkgate Link Road, Park & Ride and Taylors Lane roundabout scheme in a public consultation held between Monday 15 March and Friday 16 April 2021. Feedback from the consultation helped to develop our full planning application for the Scheme, which was submitted in October 2021 and approved with conditions on 12 August 2022 by Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council.

• Read a summary of the consultation feedback (PDF, 2Mb)

Online Q&A sessions took place on Wednesday 24 March and Tuesday 6 April:

• Read a summary of the session held on Wednesday 24 March (PDF, 151Kb)
• Read a summary of the session held on Tuesday 6 April (PDF, 196Kb)

Since the consultation events, the Taylors Lane roundabout element has been descoped.

Current work

The new roundabout at the junction of Aldwarke Lane and the new link road opened to traffic at the end of August 2024. The link road opened to traffic at the end of November 2024. Work on the link road was halted owing to the discovery of a main sewer close to the surface of the link road, which needs to be diverted.

Work on the Park & Ride element is almost complete. It is now awaiting electrical connections to take place before it can open.

• Watch a fly-by of the site during construction work in October 2023 (YouTube, opens in a new window/tab).

Useful documents

• Link to planning application.

A full record of endorsements and approvals is held on file at our offices.

If you have any comments about this scheme please get in touch.