Nottinghamshire: No firm timetable as council reaffirms commitment to cost-hit A614 junction

Mickledale Lane, near Bilsthorpe, will not be taken forward as part of improvements to the A614 and A6097 after its costs rose by £6m. However, it will be delivered in the future as part of a separate piece of work, with Nottinghamshire County Council pledging £5m to the works.

Once complete, it could involve a new roundabout or traffic lights being installed alongside a new link road. But since being removed from the broader scheme in June, designing is underway to work out how the A614 intersection could look and cost.

It was one of six initially put forward as part of a multi-million-pound, Government-backed improvement scheme. Other works include enlarging the Ollerton Roundabout, safety work at the White Post Roundabout and “geometric improvements” at the A6097/A614 Warren Hill intersection.

The A6097 Lowdham Roundabout will also be enlarged, while the signalised junction at Kirk Hill, East Bridgford, will be extended. The wider project was initially expected to cost £28.6m but rose to £45.3m due to inflation, the war in Ukraine and increased professional fees.

This included Mickledale Lane rising from £5.8m to £11.8m as well as Ollerton increasing from £10.7m to £17.2m. The County Council’s June cabinet meeting voted to remove Mickledale Lane from the project and run it separately.

This allowed the wider scheme to reduce to £34.4m – including £24.3m from the Department for Transport (DfT). Now a senior cabinet member has reaffirmed the authority’s commitment to the junction but said there is not yet a timetable for its progress.

Cllr Keith Girling (Con), cabinet member for economic development and asset management, described Mickledale Lane as “very complex” and said: “It’s on the top of a hill with lots of services under it.

“It’s not a simple task and I don’t know whether it will be a roundabout or traffic lights. We need to establish that first, then we can say how much it’ll cost and when we’ll be able to get it done.”

He added: “We want to get it finished and done and we’ve committed to do it separately.

“It’s only been pulled from the main scheme and it’s always been the intention to finish it off. It’s a balancing act. There are a lot of junctions and you’ve got to make sure it’s coordinated so there’s at least some traffic flow.

“It’s hard to put a timescale on it but we’re not going to drag our feet.”

His comments come after the council agreed to buy 24 land plots so two junctions can be improved.

Fifteen will be bought near Ollerton Roundabout to enable road construction, landscaping, habitat provision, new signage, a bus link and safe access.

The remaining nine will be bought around Kirk Hill to enable the construction of a new equestrian crossing and safe access.

The wider project is aimed at boosting the local economy and improving connectivity.