The 22nd March is set to be a big day for residents and motorists who live in and travel through Gedling as Colliery Way, formerly known as the Gedling Access Road, officially opens to traffic.
The £49 million road will link the A612 with Mapperley Plains and will improve journey times, reduce congestion through Gedling Village and bring new homes, jobs and businesses to the area.
Works on the 3.8km of new road began in January 2020 and construction teams have since moved 512,000 cubic metres of earth, equivalent to 204 Olympic swimming pools, laid 45,816 tonnes of tarmac and installed 30 kilometres of drainage pipes and cable ducts.
The scheme is also set to benefit the environment, with 53,000 new trees being planted across the site, and ecological measures including seven badger tunnels, six amphibian crossings and seven bat hop-overs being constructed.
Traffic will be able to use the new road from midday on 22 March.
Councillor Ben Bradley MP, Leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, said: “The Gedling Access Road has been in the pipeline for over 50 years and so I am extremely proud that we have delivered this project for the benefit of residents and motorists, not just in Gedling, but across Nottinghamshire.
“Colliery Way is much more than just a new road – it will provide access to new high-quality, affordable homes to help people get on the property ladder and will bring about journey time savings and other safety and efficiency benefits worth at least £73 million.
“Our ambition is to create a healthier, more prosperous and greener Nottinghamshire, and the opening of Colliery Way is one piece in the puzzle towards achieving this. Better links to Gedling Country Park thanks to the scheme will encourage more people to walk and cycle, the new link between two key road corridors will boost business in the area and increasing woodland in the area by 40% will improve habitats for wildlife and help green spaces to thrive.”
Will Morlidge, Interim Chief Executive Officer at D2N2 LEP said: “It’s great to see Colliery Way ready to open to the public – high quality and reliable infrastructure is critical to giving businesses the confidence to invest in our area and therefore create further opportunities for the whole region to enjoy.
“Connectivity is the backbone of the D2N2 region, and we are proud to have invested £10.8 million into the road’s construction.”
Councillor John Clarke MBE, Leader of Gedling Borough Council, said: “We are very pleased that after so many years, the new road is here.
“The Colliery Way will contribute towards the ongoing housing development in the area, creating much needed new homes, with improved access to the Chase Farm development and improved access to our Gedling Country Park. This all directly contributes to the local economy through new jobs and more people moving into the area to live and work.
“This road will also be welcomed by the residents of Gedling Village who will see a big reduction in through traffic, it will give them their village back, which is something we have been wanting to achieve for a long time. The name of the road also ensures that the rich heritage of the former colliery, upon which this road will be built on, is not forgotten and it’s a fantastic symbol of the regeneration of the area alongside the very popular Gedling Country Park,
“We would like to thank our partners for all of their hard work on this project and we know that residents and businesses in the area will see the many benefits of this new road for many years to come.”
Shaun Fielding, Regional Managing Director at Keepmoat Homes said: “As our Chase Farm site enters its next phase of development it will benefit greatly from the Colliery Way, with greater access for workers and residents, connecting them to the wider Nottinghamshire region and beyond. With the delivery of the new access road and high-quality homes, we look forward to attracting new residents to this flourishing area.”
Neil Hodgson, Consultancy Director at Via East Midlands, said: “Via East Midlands is proud to have played a pivotal role over a number of years in designing, developing and managing the delivery of this major project alongside our partners.
“To see the project complete in 2022 is testament to the time and commitment of our project team and we’re delighted to see the road open to traffic.”
