Road improvements: Clophill

The plans: Clophill roundabout improvements

We want to thank everyone who took the time to attend a consultation and engagement event and shared their views on the proposed A6/A507 Clophill roundabout improvement scheme during 2022.

Your views, and those we received throughout the scheme design process, have helped shape our plans which will improve the roundabout for road users and introduce pedestrian and cyclist enhancements.

We received 580 consultation responses with many different opinions on what we should do as part of this government Levelling Up funded scheme. The consultation ended on 11 July 2022 and, since the delegated decision was made to go ahead there have been some required changes to the scheme.

Revised improvements

Rising construction costs due to inflation are a national issue affecting capital projects across the UK. Following the procurement process, significant inflationary pressures in the construction industry led to tenders coming in over the scheme’s allocated budget; a budget that was set in May 2021 before construction inflation costs soared.

Knowing the strength of public feeling during the consultation, we took this opportunity to reassess the plans to redesign the roundabout and will move forward with an amended scheme that keeps the footbridge.  Remodelling the planned roundabout brings the project costs in line with the budget and still delivers significant benefits for road users, local residents, and communities across Central Bedfordshire.

Two lanes in and out on all four arms will see enhanced roundabout capacity enabling more vehicles to get through the junction at the same time. However, by reducing the distance these lanes extend on the eastern A507 arm to about 25 metres the footbridge and its ramp will now stay.  The other arms will remain like the original plans, although reducing the length of the two lane approach on the southern A6 arm enables the existing bridge over River Flit to be kept, which is a significant cost saving.

The improvements will see road users benefit from reduced journey times especially during busy periods, with the exception being for traffic heading eastbound on the A507 at peak travel times in the evening and on the A6 northbound arm in the morning peak travel period. This is because of the decision to keep the footbridge and not extend the two lanes fully on the A507 eastern arm, which saves money given the rising inflation and acts on the consultation feedback.

The scheme will include reduced 30mph speed limits on the approaches to the roundabout and the installation of three toucan crossings offering pedestrians a dedicated crossing point on all four arms. The previously proposed toucan crossing on the A507 eastern arm will not be installed as the footbridge is retained.

The important scheme supports the future of Central Bedfordshire by building much-needed extra capacity at this busy junction which will see more traffic in the future, particularly with the planned M1/A6 link road. It’s part of our continued forward-planning approach to support a prosperous area that benefits residents and the communities across Central Bedfordshire. We are futureproofing the roundabout so it can cope with further traffic increases.

A new digital flythrough will be available in the next few weeks showing the planned improvements at the roundabout. Further information on when the carriageway works will start will also follow in the coming weeks. This will include information on planned diversion routes.

We have appointed Octavius as our construction partner for the scheme and the initial preparation works will start on 20 February 2023.

A government-funded important scheme

We successfully secured £6.8million of government funding to improve this congestion hotspot on a major route in Central Bedfordshire. We plan to create a junction that helps reduce queuing traffic, cuts journey times for road users, and builds capacity at the junction so it can cope with increased traffic in the future. Less time queuing and smoother flowing traffic will also help reduce carbon emissions and improve air quality.

Our other objectives are to improve connections across the busy roads to job opportunities, shops, and community facilities, reduce severance (the feeling of a split between communities living on different sides of the road) by including new pedestrian and cyclist crossing points and footpaths, and support business and new development.

Obtaining this government money to improve our road infrastructure is a big achievement and part of our forward-thinking approach to ensuring Central Bedfordshire continues to be a great place to live and work. The money can only be spent on this project, so we must grasp the opportunity. Engineering projects like this are expensive to build and the scheme is only possible because of government funding.

If we do nothing congestion and delays will only become worse in the future.

The scheme will benefit residents by offering shorter journey times and new pedestrian and cyclist crossing points and supports our overarching plans to make Central Bedfordshire a great place to live and work. As well as the local benefits, the scheme is of strategic importance for the wider region as the A6 and A507 routes link to other areas such as Luton, Bedford, and Milton Keynes.

Clophill Consultation Report (PDF)

Equality Impact Assessment (PDF)

Decision notice (PDF)