‘Transformational’ multi-million pound road scheme completes
The second phase of Great Yorkshire Way, which completes the direct link from the motorway network to Doncaster Sheffield Airport, has officially opened to traffic today.
Delivered by Doncaster Council and backed by the Sheffield City Region, the scheme is a key part of SCR’s growth plan to stimulate economic growth and create 70,000 jobs over the next 10 years.
There is now a continuous route to south east Doncaster from Junction 3 of the M18, reducing journey times for residents and boosting opportunities for local businesses to create more jobs.
The second phase will also provide additional cycle and pedestrian facilities linking new residential areas and the development area surrounding the airport to existing routes and the town centre. These facilities will be available by the end of June.
Ros Jones, Mayor of Doncaster, said: “As we had hoped, Great Yorkshire Way is a fantastic success for Doncaster and the wider region.
“We always knew its impact would be hugely significant and lead to hundreds of millions of pounds of private sector investment in Doncaster. There are more flights to business and holiday destinations, the old colliery site at Rossington is being reclaimed and people are living in new family homes and finding more job opportunities at the iPort and other developments.
“Over 1,400 new jobs and almost 1,000 new homes have been created and this is all due to the collaborative approach we’ve taken to working with our public and private sector partners. With the second phase of the Great Yorkshire Way now complete, stimulating further economic growth and making the borough even more accessible to the people of Yorkshire and beyond, Great Yorkshire Way is one of the region’s most successful regeneration projects, investing in infrastructure in order to grow and transform the economy so that it works for the many not the few.”
Dan Jarvis, Mayor of the Sheffield City Region, said: “For a relatively short piece of road, the final stage of the Great Yorkshire Way will have a huge impact. Directly linking Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA) to the motorway network will make DSA far more accessible for people across the region.
“Our airport is already seeing success in terms of new routes, rising passenger numbers and an increased demand for cargo facilities. But there is further potential. I know that DSA can be as significant on the east of the Pennines as Manchester Airport is on the west.
“To help realise DSA’s potential, I’ve already submitted a bid to the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund. At the heart of this bid is a Global Innovation Corridor that stretches across the region, linking people to key sites including the airport, Sheffield city centre, the Advanced Manufacturing Park in Rotherham and Barnsley’s Digital Campus.”
Jarvis also said that the region now needs to “seize this momentum” and throw its weight behind the vision for an East Coast Main Line railway station at the airport.
“This would put our region’s airport firmly on the map for people all the way from London to Edinburgh, making it a first choice for business and leisure travellers nationwide,” he said.
The £56m first phase of Great Yorkshire Way opened in February 2016. It provided a new three mile link from Junction 3 to the A638 Bawtry Road and since opening has been used for almost 14 million journeys. It was funded with contributions from Peel Group, Harworth Group, Verdion, Doncaster Council and the Regional Growth Fund. Doncaster Chamber has also been a big supporter of the scheme.
The second phase cost £10.55m with £9.1m contributed by the Sheffield City Region and £1.45m from Doncaster Council’s Capital Programme.
Funding has come from the Local Growth Fund (LGF), which is Government funding awarded to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) for projects that benefit the local area and economy.
Tarmac was the main contractor for the scheme designed by Mott MacDonald and the council’s strategic infrastructure team.
