Junction work ahead of schedule

Date: 08-02-2010

Work at the Horse and Jockey junction, Aylesbury, is ahead of schedule, resulting in the reopening of Elmhurst Road to through traffic on February 15 one week earlier than planned.

Its closure has allowed the first phase of improvement works by Transport for Buckinghamshire (TFB), needed as a result of further housing development at Weedon Hill, to go ahead speedily. TFB used the opportunity to improve the way the traffic lights work, and rectify construction defects on the approaches to the junction that emerged in the past 12 months.

Phase two, involving rebuilding a 100 metre section of Weedon Road from its junction with Buckingham Road, will start on the same day. This section of Weedon Road will close for five weeks to ensure the safety of the public and the site workforce, and TFB aims to finish by 19 March.

The initial traffic delays significantly improved as engineers made alterations to traffic light phasing, and motorists found alternative routes. Throughout the second phase engineers will continue to monitor the junction and make alterations to traffic lights where necessary.

Brian Roberts, Buckinghamshire County Council spokesman for transportation, said: 'We want to give residents and motorists as much notice as possible about these essential improvement works, and we apologise for any delays caused as a result. We really appreciate their patience and cooperation and we're pulling out all the stops to get these works completed ahead of schedule. I'm optimistic that we can open the road earlier than planned.'