£3m revamp for major route into Sheffield city centre nears completion

Improvements to the seven-mile stretch of road from Tinsley, near the Rotherham border, past the M1 and Meadowhall into the heart of the city, began in May.

Sheffield Council today said the major resurfacing project, being carried out by Amey, as part of the £2.2bn Streets Ahead contract, is on course to be finished in the coming weeks, with only the section on Meadowhall Way yet to be finished.

The work was timed so the bulk of it could be completed before Highways England began a major programme of improvements to Tinsley Viaduct, which carries the M1 and A631 over the Don Valley, on August 13.

That is set to take place in three phases over the next couple of years, causing major disruption to the thousands of motorists using it each day.

Councillor Lewis Dagnall, cabinet member for environment and street scene, said: 'Work to improve the roads around Tinsley and into the city centre has taken meticulous planning from all parties and the impact on road users during these works has remained paramount to the work schedule.

'Being one of the busiest access routes into the city, Amey have tried to keep disruption to an absolute minimum whilst this huge piece of work was undertaken.

'With Meadowhall, Centertainment and Ikea all in the vicinity, considerations around peak shopping times and rush hour traffic had to be taken into account to ensure the work was completed as smoothly as possible.

'Now this part of the work is finished, people can start to enjoy the benefits of the brand new surfacing and continue with their journeys safely both in and out of the city.'

The council said resurfacing work in Carbrook and Attercliffe had been carried out in stages to minimise dirsuption.

As well as the resurfacing, the green space at Tinsley Roundabout was last year given a much-needed tidy up.

Since the Streets Ahead contract began in August 2012, the council claims nearly two thirds of its road network has now been improved, with '˜extensive' resurfacing planned in future years.

The Star has contacted Sheffield Liberal Democrats for a comment.