A47 Earl Shilton Bypass

Press Release 24th October 2008

Traffic can travel along a section of the new Earl Shilton bypass from today.

A length of the new £15million road between Elmesthorpe Lane and Carrs Hill opened this morning - it is approximately 800m long and features street lighting and landscaped mounds to screen the road from residents.

To view the full press release please click here

October 2008 - Update on main activites

Thurlaston Lane Bridge The new bridge has now been completed and traffic has started using it. The adjacent picture shows the completed Thurlaston Lane bridge carriageway.
The opening of the bridge to traffic allowed the old road to be removed and the final piece of major earthworks to remove the soil plug which carried the old road to be completed. The adjacent picture shows the new bridge with the route of the bypass clear under the bridge.
Bridleway Underpass The Bridleway underpass is now fully complete with all pedestrian and horse traffic using the new route. The existing watercourse has also been diverted through the structure. A first layer of tarmac has been laid allowing contruction traffic to cross the brook. The adjacent picture shows the underpass being constructed.
Elmsthorpe Lane to Carrs Hill This section of road is now open to traffic. The earth bunds to either side of the new section have been grass seeded with landscaping to be completed later in the project. The adjacent picture shows the lenth of the bypass now open to traffic.
A47 Northern Roundabout This section of the bypass has progressed and the new roundabout has been constructed. Over the coming weeks, traffic will be diverted onto the new section to allow the landscaping and construction works to continue safely in a similar way to the construction of the southern Carrs Hill Roundabout (see adjacent picture of Carrs Hill Roundabout)
Station Road/Wilkinson Lane Works in this area are progressing well. The new pumping station (see adjacent picture) has been completed and is now operational. Works will begin over the next few weeks to demolish the old pumping station allowing the road building works to continue.
Future site activities Futher construction of the new roadway Landscaping of the embankments and bunds Street lighting installation Signing & white lining installation

If you have specific queries regarding this scheme you can contact the site office on 01455 849 600, or ROADLINE on FREEPHONE 0800 62 62 03. For any other queries please visit the HIGHWAY CONTACT DETAILS webpage.

Do not use a mobile phone whilst driving.

For more information on Leicestershire’s road network visit www.leics.gov.uk/highways.

The Scheme

To view an overall scheme plan of the proposals, please select the following link:

Overall scheme plan (pdf format, 383 kb)

The Bypass is approximately 5km (3.0 miles) long and follows the corridor established in the Local Plan that links the A47 Hinckley Northern Perimeter Road from a new roundabout at Carrs Hill to the A47 Leicester Road north east of Earl Shilton. The Bypass will be a 7.3 metre wide single carriageway with one metre wide hard strips alongside. Quiet road surfacing material is proposed throughout its length. A combined footway/cycleway 2.5 metre wide will be provided along the length of the Bypass with connections to the existing cycle facilities along the Hinckley Northern Perimeter Road and to the side roads at each junction.

To view scheme plans for which planning permission has been granted, select the following links:

A47 (west) to Breach Lane (pdf format, 1,966 kb)

Mill Lane to A47 (east) (pdf format, 1,325 kb)

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Aim and Objectives

The overall aim of the Bypass is to improve conditions along the A47 in Earl Shilton, that will enable complementary improvements to be made to the town centre in order to provide a safe, accessible and environmentally more attractive place for the local community.

The principle objectives of the scheme are:-

to channel local through-traffic including heavy goods vehicles and congestion away from Earl Shilton onto a purpose built highway;
to enhance the local environment in Earl Shilton by reducing the traffic problems of; severance, intimidation, noise and air pollution;
to improve accessibility for public transport, pedestrians and cyclists by enabling an integrated package of improvements to be undertaken in the centre of Earl Shilton;
to assist planned economic growth and developments within the town and surrounding area by providing primary or improved access;
to enhance road safety for all users by diverting local through-traffic away from the centre of Earl Shilton and thereby reducing vehicle conflicts in the town centre, residential areas, schools and community facilities along the A47.

Scheme History

To view scheme history click here

Contacts

Leicestershire County Council: Bernard Evans, 0116 305 6834, email tsd@leics.gov.uk