Tip, tip, hooray, all change at Rugby's Avon Mill as long-awaited double roundabout project moves ahead

Turning right out of Hunters Lane could be a whole lot easier in the future as the county council is pushing ahead with a £23.5million scheme at Avon Mill featuring a makeover of the existing roundabout and the creation of a second one that will make tip trips less stressful.
By Richard Howarth
Published 30th Jan 2023, 11:24 BST
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The right-turn challenge might not be sorted until 2026 but having been on the cards for a number of years, progress was made at Warwickshire County Council’s cabinet meeting on Friday, January 27.

Councillors gave approval for officers to produce an outline business case for the delivery of a scheme they believe will reduce congestion, improve bus reliability, make it easier and safer for pedestrians and cyclists - and address the impact on traffic of the town’s ever-increasing new housing.

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The existing Avon Mill roundabout has long been a bottleneck, particularly since the Western Relief Road didn’t relieve the whole of the town and left most of its traffic using Avon Mill.

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A view of the current Avon Mill roundabout, taken from the old railway viaduct. Photo: Warwickshire County Council.A view of the current Avon Mill roundabout, taken from the old railway viaduct. Photo: Warwickshire County Council.
A view of the current Avon Mill roundabout, taken from the old railway viaduct. Photo: Warwickshire County Council.

The aim is for the current roundabout to be enlarged and the approaches and exits to be widened.

There will be a new segregated foot/cycleway and bridge located to the north of the existing road bridge with connections to improved crossing facilities on A426 Leicester Road to make access to and from Avon Valley School easier and safer.

The new roundabout at the Hunters Lane is all part of the scheme, together with a short length of dual carriageway between the two roundabouts with a new bridge over the River Avon located to the south of the existing road bridge.

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There will also be a new junction between the two roundabouts to allow access to the new Starbucks and the houses alongside.

Transport and planning portfolio holder Cllr Wallace Redford said: “As we strive to ensure that our residents are supported by excellent transport infrastructure, we remain ever mindful that such infrastructure must have vision beyond simply car travel.

“As you can see from our plans for the improvement scheme, at its heart is a commitment to making active travel more possible and desirable, whilst also improving the access and reliability of the town’s bus services in a vibrant and expanding part of Rugby.”

The hope is for the work to be finished in 2026.

Related topics:CouncillorsWarwickshire County Council