The B3250 Mannamead Road is a busy route for both public and private transport with 20,000 vehicles using it daily. It is a vital part of the city’s transport network, connecting communities to the district centre at Mutley Plain, the A38 and the city centre. It also forms part of the key bus corridor linking the city centre with the north of the city. Mannamead Road is often congested, with motorists and bus services experiencing delays during peak periods. In addition to this, many of the traffic signal junctions along its length are ageing and operate poorly when compared to modern day equipment.
Modern and efficient signals will be installed at a number of junctions along the route with the aim of reducing traffic delays between Torr Lane and Mutley Plain, reducing journey times for motorists and improving service reliability for buses.
As well as replacing worn out and outdated traffic signals, the scheme will also address road safety by upgrading pedestrian crossings and providing better facilities for cyclists.
As part of the scheme, the layout of the junction of Torr Lane and Mannamead Road will be improved and new ‘Toucan’ pedestrian and cycle crossings provided. A new off-road shared pedestrian and cycle lane between Torr Lane and the Manadon junction will also be provided.
Meanwhile, 13 on-street parking spaces, which are currently restricting significantly traffic flow on the approach to Mutley Plain, will be removed. Eight replacement spaces will be provided split between College Avenue and Connaught Avenue to strike a better overall balance between the need to improve the flow of traffic into the city and the need to provide on-street car parking.
To help with the loss of the on-street parking spaces people will be able to park for free for the first hour during the day in the Mutley Barracks car park which is accessed from Ford Park Lane and also from 8pm every night.
Plans of all the proposals are provided below.
A short video summarising the scheme.
When will the works start?
Work is due to begin on Wednesday 18 July and work is expected to last for around five months.
The main construction work will take place between 7.30am and 6pm, Monday to Friday, and on the occasional Saturday morning between 7.30am and 1pm.
Traffic management
Whilst every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum whilst work is taking place, temporary three-way lights will be required at various locations throughout the construction period to allow the existing signals to be replaced. Every effort will be made to have only one set of temporary lights in operation at a time and they will be manually operated during busy times of day to minimise disruption.
The southbound bus lane from Russell Avenue to Torr Lane will be closed from 25 September for around one month. The northbound bus lane from Whiteford Road to Hartley Road will be closed from 22 October for around six weeks. It is expected that all bus stops on Mannamead Road will remain open throughout the works.
It will also be necessary to close the entrance and exit of Torr Lane, at its junction with Mannamead Road, between 9.30am and 3.30pm, for up to one week at the beginning of October. Suitable diversions will be in place during this closure.
Notices will also be placed on site in advance detailing any closure, restriction or diversion and will also be advertised in the local press. For the latest travel updates follow @plymhighways and @plymouthcc on Twitter.
Funding
The cost of the scheme is approximately £1.7 million. £1.05 million of funding is being provided by the Heart of the South West Local Enterprise Partnership.
Public Consultation
A public consultation about the scheme took place in November and December 2017. The summary results are in the document below.
Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) Consultation
Public consultation on the changes to TROs in the scheme area as a result of the scheme has now closed.
