Ongoing transport projects

Plans and proposals for projects which are part of the Connecting Leicester and Transforming Cities Fund programme.

A50/FiveWays junction works

We are carrying out a major redevelopment of the A50/FiveWays junction, in north-west Leicester, to help make it safer for all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians, and improve the busy route for buses. As part of the project, the council will completely redesign and overhaul the busy FiveWays junction which links Blackbird Road, Woodgate, Fosse Road North, Groby Road and Buckminster Road. Work will be carried out in phases to help minimise disruption, and the overall project is expected to be complete by spring 2024.

The first phase of work is due to begin on Buckminster Road from Monday 23 January. This will involve narrowing its junctions with Blackbird Road and Colwell Road; the installation of a new raised table on Colwell Road to improve safety for people walking and riding bikes; and existing car parking on verges close to the shops on Buckminster Road will be removed. New landscaping will also be introduced.

This initial phase of work is expected to take around six to eight weeks during which time a lane restriction will be required on part of Blackbird Road, and Buckminster Road will be closed to through traffic. Local diversions will be in place around the surrounding streets, please keep an eye out for the yellow diversion signage.

The current experimental road closure on Buckminster Road will also be removed at the start of the FiveWays redevelopment, and a review and surveys will be carried out after the highway works are completed to fully understand the impact of the new junction on traffic flow on Buckminster Road and the surrounding streets. .

A second phase of work – which will involve improvements to Fosse Road North between the FiveWays junction and Stephenson Drive – are due to begin from Monday 13 February. This will involve removing the existing mini roundabout at the junction of Fosse Road North and Stephenson Road and replacing it with a signalised junction; widening the road to help provide a new bus only lane on Fosse Road North on the approach to FiveWays junction. A new cycle track will be created and raised table crossings will be installed across Bonchurch Street and Central Road to improve pedestrian safety. Access to Rally Park will also be improved.

Work on Fosse Road North is expected to take around 14 weeks to complete, and will require the road to be closed to southbound traffic. Traffic will therefore operate in a one-way direction towards the FiveWays junction between Stephenson Drive and the FiveWays junction Well signed diversions will be in place and we encourage people to use the outer or inner ring road instead, please follow the yellow diversion signage. Some bus services will also be affected, with diversions and nearby alternative routes in place.

Details of future phases of work – which are due to begin in April – will be publicised nearer the time.

A6 Improvements

As part of a major programme of works across the city to help encourage more people to make the shift to sustainable transport, a range of improvements are proposed for the A6 covering St Margaret’s Way and Abbey Lane. The plans would see the introduction of new bus lanes, running in both directions, between Sanvey Gate and Wolsey Street, between Byford Road and Beaumont Leys Lane and between Corporation Road and Thurcaston Road. The existing inbound bus lane between Redhill Circle and Thurcaston Road will be retained.

The scheme has been designed so the new bus lanes will not adversely affect the general flow of traffic and includes plans to introduce a ‘No Stopping Order’ – commonly known as a red route. A new 30mph speed limit would be introduced between Thurcaston Road and the city centre to help manage traffic and make the route safer.  

Provision for loading will be provided where needed to ensure that businesses are not affected.

The proposed scheme would also see improvements made to the busy junction of Corporation Road, Beaumont Leys Lane and the A6, with safer pedestrian and cycle crossings introduced.  New cycle lanes will be created on Beaumont Leys Lane linking to improvements already underway in that neighbourhood

The planned works will complement improvements recently completed at the Ravensbridge Drive junction and along a section of the A6 between Abbey Park Road and Exploration Drive.  

Saffron Lane

Work has started on major improvements to Leicester’s busy Saffron Lane to help encourage more people to travel sustainably across the city. The scheme includes revamping footpaths and creating new off-road cycle paths on both sides of the busy road, between Hawkins Road and the new junction with Putney Road as well as a new two-way cycle way between Hawkins Road and Knighton Lane East, on the same side as the leisure centre.

A new 3-metre-wide cycle lane which runs across Aylestone Recreation Ground, alongside the existing tree-lined footpath through the park has also been created as part of the scheme.