End to £14.7m Todwick crossroads disruption in sight

Council chiefs said engineers were still on track to complete the A57 Todwick crossroads overhaul by early next year despite the early spring big freeze which hampered their work.

Todwick Road, which has been closed since just after Christmas, will be re-opened to traffic on May 20.

The roadworks at Todwick will see a 1.5-mile section of the main road turned into a dual carriageway all the way to junction 31 of the M1 motorway.

The work also includes replacing the crossroads, which became a well-known accident blockspot following a serious of fatal smashes, with a roundabout.

Contractors Ringway Infrastructure Services started on site last September and the new road is expected to be fully open to traffic early next year.

The works initially focused on earthworks, drainage, boundary works and large scale utility diversions but have now moved on to completing the new roundabout as well as the Todwick Road approach to the new roundabout, and Todwick Road is almost ready to re-open.

David Phillips, the Rotherham Borough Council’s transportation and highways projects manager, said: “We appreciate that the closure of Todwick Road causes inconvenience for both local people and businesses.

“However, its closure was essential to allow this part of the project to be completed in both a safe environment and with minimum delay overall as a longer closure at this time will reduce disruption later in the scheme.”

The A57 was formerly a trunk road and was inherited by the council in 2001. Since that time, the authority has been working with the Department for Transport in an effort to upgrade the road and address the significant accident problems and congestion on this section of the A57 as well as improve access to the Dinnington Regeneration Area.

Following a public inquiry in October 2011, the Secretary of State made the decision that the improvement scheme should go ahead and the Department for Transport agreed to contribute £11.8 million towards the cost.

The remaining £2.9 million required to complete the scheme is being met by the borough council.

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