Improvements to the ‘Ashbourne Triangle’ set to start

DCC will begin work to make safety improvements at an Ashbourne town centre traffic hotspot next month.

To minimise disruption, improvements to the ‘Ashbourne Triangle’ pedestrian refuge will be carried out in two phases to keep traffic flowing in one direction at a time. The work is expected to take two weeks.

Starting on Monday 9 April the northbound carriageway of the A515 towards Buxton will be closed so the market place side of the triangle can be narrowed.

The following week, starting Monday 16 April, the opposite carriageway heading into Ashbourne will be shut, so the other side of the triangle can also be slimmed down.

This is to give traffic using the one way system on both sides of the A515 at the junction of St John’s Street and Buxton Road more room to negotiate the narrow road and tight corners by providing more turning space.

The pedestrian crossing on Buxton Road, outside the town hall, will also be upgraded while the road closures are in place.

Signposted diversions will be in place while the work is carried out. For the week starting 9 April the diversion for northbound traffic will be along St John Street, Hall Lane, King Street and Buxton Road. Southbound traffic will flow as usual.

The following week’s diversion for southbound vehicles will be Buxton Road, King Street and Hall Lane. Northbound traffic will flow as usual.

Evening road closures will then be in place from 6.30pm to midnight between Monday 23 to Friday 27 April so that both sides of the carriageway can be resurfaced and white lines reinstated.

Plans for a new Ashbourne by-pass are also on the table. Last year the county council’s cabinet gave the green light for investigation work to be carried out into the possibility of a by-pass. Options for long-term solutions to the town’s traffic problems, other than a by-pass will also be considered. Evidence into the feasibility of a by-pass is now being collected. This will then be used to put together a business case to identify potential solutions to the town’s congestion problems.