The completed £55M Pathfinder project to ease congestion on the A500 in Stoke-on-Trent – the first in the country to use early contractor involvement – has officially opened.
The Department for Transport claimed the ECI contract enabled the scheme to be completed two years earlier than if traditional measures were used, as the contractor was invited to contribute at the beginning of the project rather than just before the construction phase. ‘We have been able to use the best of the construction industry’s expertise and reduce the time taken to bring benefits to people using the road,’ said Highways Agency chief executive, Archie Robertson.
The project has seen: replacement of the Stoke Road and City Road roundabouts with new junctions; the construction of underpasses in the wide central reserve; new slip roads with ramp metering connecting the A500 to the local road network; and the widening of the existing dual carriageway to three lanes in two key areas.
There have also been improvements for pedestrians and cyclists, and better bus facilities.
Transport minister, Douglas Alexander, said extensive environmental measures had improved the River Trent and the Trent and Mersey Canal. ‘Wildlife has been encouraged to better establish itself, including rarer species, such as otters, and existing water courses have been placed in new open channels,’ he said.
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