Government gives green light for £46m upgrade of Sheffield Parkway

Work is due to begin within weeks on expanding part of the Sheffield Parkway to three lanes in a bid to cut the huge queues that build up at rush hour.

Roads Minister Baroness Vere said work on the mile-long stretch of the A630 between the M1 and the Advanced Manufacturing Plant at Catcliffe, was “another example of the Government’s pledge to build back better”.

A key route between Rotherham and Sheffield, as well as providing access to the M1, the major road is used by around 65,000 vehicles a day.

Baroness Vere said: “The funding announced today will make a real difference to thousands of commuters’ journeys in the region every day, and further demonstrates our ongoing commitment to levelling up transport infrastructure in the North.

“By boosting the capacity on this vital A-road, and delivering this scheme in good time, we’ll help improve connectivity, cut journey times and boost local economies in South Yorkshire.”

The Department for Transport is putting £42m towards the total £46m cost of the scheme which should be completed by the summer of 2022.

The existing road will become a dual three-lane carriageway, “markedly increasing capacity” on the road, the DfT said. Meanwhile Junction 33 on the intersecting M1 will also benefit from carriageway widening and resurfacing.

The announcement comes after The Northern Transport Acceleration Council was set up with the aim of speeding up the delivery of Northern transport projects.

In January residents on Brinsworth Road, Catcliffe, who are already plagued by noise and fumes from the A630, called for extra measures to be put in place to lessen the impact of the extra lane.