Leicester City Council has outlined a £10.4m programme of proposed improvements to what its deputy mayor called one of the city’s ‘most confusing’ junctions and its connecting roads.
The authority said it is planning a series of major improvements to the safety of the busy FiveWays junction, in north west Leicester.
The work will also make connecting streets safer and more attractive for pedestrians and cyclists and improve the routes for buses, the council added.
It is funded through a mix of Enterprise Zone cash from the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership and the Transforming Cities Fund following the council’s successful bid for £32m.
Deputy mayor Cllr Adam Clarke, who leads on environment and transportation, said: ‘These planned improvements represent a long-standing commitment to improving the Fiveways junction, which is one of the most confusing junctions for drivers in the city, and a continuation of our ambitious vision to encourage cleaner, greener, healthier and cheaper transport in and around Leicester.
‘The proposals will help simplify the junction for drivers, make it a much less daunting proposition for cyclists and help make the area a more attractive place for people.’
As part of the plans, the city council is proposing a complete redesign of the FiveWays junction, which links Blackbird Road, Woodgate, Fosse Road North, Groby Road and Buckminster Road.
Space will be reallocated for pedestrians and cyclists along with new landscaping and tree planting.
The council said all existing traffic islands, stop lines and signals at the junction will be removed and replaced with ‘a simpler arrangement’. New crossings for pedestrians and cyclists will also be introduced and the junction will be completely resurfaced.
A new bike docking station is also proposed as part of Leicester's Santander Cycles e-bike hire scheme.
Work on the improvements to the junction and surrounding streets is due to begin in the Autumn and be carried out in phases, with the scheme due to be complete by spring 2024.
