What options have been considered?
To date, over 50 different options have been considered, including:
- Sustainable travel options
- A46 ‘online’ (along the existing A46) improvement options
- ‘Offline’ (away from the existing A46) highway options
Sustainable travel options
Sustainable travel measures (such as the provision of better facilities for walking and cycling, or improvements to public transport) would improve travel options for the local community. Our assessment concluded however, that in isolation they would not address the issues caused by the volume of local and long-distance traffic passing through M5 Junction 9 and the A46 both now and in the future. However, sustainable travel measures were identified as a means of improving the environment along the A46 for local people and would be included as part of any overall scheme that is developed.
A46 online improvement options
Upgrading the existing M5 Junction 9 and the A46 through Ashchurch would address some of the known congestion and safety issues; however, our assessment concluded that it would not prove an effective overall solution. This is because there are businesses and homes close to the road that would be adversely impacted by the widening of the road and increased traffic, including heavy goods vehicles passing through Ashchurch with the associated noise, pollution and safety concerns. It would also impact the ability to deliver sustainable travel options in any final scheme and accommodate development in the area. It would therefore fail to achieve the scheme objectives of addressing traffic and environmental problems and allowing for growth.
Offline highway options
Re-routing the A46 away from Ashchurch (with a new M5 Junction 9a) would address all of the issues identified, including reducing congestion at the existing M5 Junction 9 and the A46 through Ashchurch and supporting future development in the area. It would also provide a quicker and more reliable route for long-distance traffic, whilst providing opportunities to improve sustainable travel options, along the existing A46 corridor.
Over 40 offline highway options have been considered to date. They have all been assessed against the scheme objectives and a range of transport planning, economic, engineering, and environmental appraisal criteria. Over various stages of assessment, the number of potential scheme options has been reduced to those which are being presented for public engagement in this document. Gloucestershire County Council has worked with National Highways and Homes England during the appraisal of the options.
Other options were discounted for one or more of the following reasons:
- Not being closely enough aligned with the scheme objectives
- Engineering, environmental (including flood risk) and planning constraints
- Construction risks
- Negative impacts on future development proposals
- Providing poor value for money
Further information regarding the full range of options considered, how options have been assessed and why options were discounted is available in the following documents:
