Final leg of Rotherham bus Smart Route under way

Improvements to the A630 Doncaster Road Smart Route in Dalton include providing a 24-hour bus and cycle lane down the Whinney Hill section of the road and the installation of traffic signals at the junction of Doncaster Road, Oldgate Road and Tata Steel's access road.

The A630 Smart Route project has been made possible due to a partnership between South Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive, Rotherham Metropolitan Borough Council and local bus operators.

Since 2009, the project has seen major work on A630 Doncaster Road to extend the bus lane, introduce traffic signals around the Mushroom Roundabout and upgrade pedestrian crossings on Fitzwilliam Road.

Bus stops have also been upgraded to make them fully accessible and to include electronic bus time displays at key locations.

SYPTE Director General, David Brown, said: "The A630 Smart Route will reduce delays, congestion, bus journey times and reliability for those travelling in this area of Rotherham - including on the popular X78 service from Sheffield to Doncaster - as well as improving traffic flow, air quality and road safety.

The works could cause those travelling on the route to experience some disruption to their journey. We are sorry for any delays caused during construction."

The final phase of work is expected to start in October 2012 and be complete by Spring 2013.

It is expected to cost £1.2 million in total, with funding provided by the South Yorkshire Local Transport Plan Partnership and from the Better Bus Area Fund set up by the Department for Transport.

For more information on the A630 Smart Route and the final stage of works visit smartroutes.co.uk/a630