Plans for a relief road in Beaconsfield are progressing after Bucks County Council approved a number of options for the £9.4million A355 corridor improvements project.

The A355, which runs from Beaconsfield to Amersham, regularly causes misery for commuters who get caught up in rush hour delays caused by ‘bottlenecks’ forming at a number of junctions along the road.

In a report issued in October last year, Bucks County Council noted that access to the A355 from side roads, particularly Ledborough Lane, Longbottom Lane and Maxwell Road is “difficult” during rush hour because of the number of vehicles on the road, with queuing and congestion tailing back to Beaconsfield Old Town.

In October, the county council got the improvements project rolling by holding a local stakeholders workshop, giving community groups in Beaconsfield a chance to view the options for easing congestion - including plans for a long-awaited relief road.

While phase one of the relief road, which will run from the A40 Pyebush roundabout to Minerva Way, is being provided by Inland Homes, who are set to develop around 350 homes on the Wilton Park site, the second phase will be carried out by BCC – continuing the road north, eventually intersecting with the A355.

The cabinet member for transportation, Mark Shaw, has now approved four recommendations for the project, which include general upgrade work, a new roundabout and extra extended lanes.

The county council has also settled on the positioning of the road, choosing the eastern alignment over central.

Bucks Free Press:

The eastern alignment (right) has been recommended. Picture by Jacobs/Bucks County Council.

While the central alignment of the road, which would have gone through an existing gap in the treeline, would have had less impact on vegetation, the eastern alignment is likely to be better for residents who live along the A355 because it will be further away from their properties.

There will also be a new roundabout without direct access to Maxwell Road at the northern junction of the link road.

The A355 junctions with Ledborough Lane and Longbottom Lane will also get “general upgrade work” while additional extended lanes and road markings will be created at the Gore Hill junction in Amersham.

The council are also progressing with the plan by acquiring private third-party land to accommodate the new relief road and temporary works access.

The scheme will now progress to the next stage of delivery, while construction on the new road is expected to begin in 2017, with the opening planned for 2019.