WORK on a £4m project to realign High Wycombe’s road network will begin in March.

Traffic will be sent past Wycombe Hospital in Queen Alexandra Road, through the old gasworks site, along Desborough Road, into Westbourne Street and onto a new roundabout on West Wycombe Road.

Two planning applications, one to develop the gasworks site and another to create the new junction linking the A40 to Westbourne Street, were approved by Buckinghamshire County Council on Monday.

Wycombe District Council then agreed to part-fund the town centre improvements set out in the Wycombe Masterplan at its Cabinet meeting later the same day.

BCC’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Transport Cllr Janet Blake said: “We believe that linking the old and new parts of the town more effectively will provide a real boost to Wycombe’s economic health.

“These changes should make the town a more appealing place for visitors, shoppers and traders.”

In a joint statement, the councils said the route will not rely on traffic signals but traffic flow would be regulated by the promotion of slower speeds in a bid to make the town safer and more pedestrian friendly.

Council chiefs say the new route will reduce traffic on the beleaguered Abbey Way Flyover - which could eventually be knocked down.

Talks are ongoing between WDC and BCC about what to do with the flyover after a study revealed deficiencies in its parapets.

The flyover will also require work to maintain its overall structure as an active highway "over the next couple of years".

The new route will open up opportunities to create new public spaces to “knit together” Eden with the historic parts of town, the councils say.

Additional improvements include upgrades of the Pauls Row/St Mary’s Street area and a new A40 London Road pedestrian crossing to The Rye.

WDC’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Sustainability Cllr Neil Marshall said: “This is an important step towards changing High Wycombe’s town centre to make it more people friendly and to connect the older historic quarter with the newer parts of town like Eden”

The authorities said the plans had received support from residents who took part in consultations and groups including the High Wycombe Society and the High Wycombe Business Improvement District Company.

Work is expected to start on the Westbourne Street junction in March.

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