Three potential routes for a bypass for Ashbourne have been revealed by Derbyshire County Council.
Western bypass – route A
This route starts on the A52 Mayfield Road, then takes traffic slightly further away from the town centre, joining the A515 Buxton Road close to Sandybrook Hall.
Western bypass – route B
This route starts at the same place as route A, but then follows a route closer to the town and joins the A515 to the north of North Avenue and Windmill Lane.
Eastern bypass
Detailed design work hasn’t been done on this route, which would be longer and more expensive to build that either of the western options. It has been tested, though, to see how much traffic it would carry.
Councillor Barry Lewis, Leader of Derbyshire County Council, said: “I hope that everyone who lives or travels through Ashbourne will take the time to take part in our consultation. There will be a huge wealth of information online, with detail about all 3 potential routes and questions about other transport related issues in the town.”
The county council has made easing traffic congestion in the town a priority after a study by independent consultants in 2017 found:
- up to 12,000 vehicles using main routes through the town each day
- almost half (46%) of traffic using the A515 was through traffic – with somewhere other than Ashbourne as its end destination
- a £1.5 million estimate placed on the cost of traffic delays in the town per year
The consultation starts on 23 November and closes on 18 December 2020.