£10m to be spent on big changes to Greens Way in Mexborough ahead of regeneration plans
It comes after the demolition of the Greens Way flyover in 2022
Big changes to a main road through Mexborough are set to go ahead after funding was approved by the City of Doncaster Council’s cabinet.
Mayor Ros Jones and the councillors in her cabinet approved over £10million from two transport funding pots for the “realignment” of Greens Way, which separates Mexborough rail station from the town centre.
Deputy mayor Cllr Glyn Jones told the meeting the scheme was part of a wider programme to reinvigorate the heart of Mexborough.
He said: “Mexborough is receiving a significant programme of regeneration though a range of funding programmes. In total £24m is being invested in Mexborough town centre, with a further £20m over ten years from the Pride in Place funding which was announced by this Labour Government in September.
“The objectives of the whole regeneration programme are to revitalise the town centre, improve road connectivity into the town centre, enable public transport to access the retail core and improve road safety on Greens Way for all road users and pedestrians.”
As previously reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, Greens Way will be changed from a dual carriageway to a single carriageway in both directions.
According to the cabinet report, changing the carriageway “enables improved accessibility to the town centre area which was lost following the requirement to remove the flyover”.
The Greens Way flyover was demolished in 2022, amid concerns of its deteriorating condition.
The cabinet report stated: “The recent demolition of the flyover has seen significant loss of footfall especially on Bank Street. This dual lane carriageway is creating a barrier between the town centre, the station and the recently improved leisure destinations on the canal as well as other uses further south.
“Greens Way’s highway capacity far exceeds the amount of traffic it currently carries (obtained from surveys undertaken in June 2022), which means that space currently given over to traffic lanes could be changed to provide more space for other users.”
The proposed changes will see improved active travel infrastructure added to safely connect Mexborough Station with the retail core.
Cabinet papers explained: “The new alignment will allow improved pedestrian access to the rail station supporting footfall to the retail core. The proposed layout will comprise a two-way segregated cycleway and a footway along the entire length of Greens Way.
“A continuous footway can also be provided on the south side of Greens Way with new pedestrian crossings proposed at either end, and improved crossings at Station Road and close to Market Street to ensure that accessing the town centre from the south on foot is easy and safe.”
The money includes £8,000,007 from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), also allocated under the Conservatives, and £2.8m from the Mayors Sustainable Transport Fund (MSTF) allocated when Dan Jarvis MP was South Yorkshire Mayor.