Green light for Nottingham A52 road upgrades

The final stages of a scheme to reduce delays around a key city route have been given the go-ahead, after plans to force through a land purchase were approved by transport secretary Heidi Alexander.

National Highways say they can now crack on with major improvements to two roundabouts in Nottingham, around 3 miles south of the city centre, with enlarged Knight and Wheatcroft islands set to benefit from new layouts to help reduce journey times.

Following the decision, construction on the scheme is now expected to begin in 2026.

The work will see Nottingham Knight roundabout enlarged with two cut throughs through the centre of the roundabout, a three lane cut through connecting the A52 west to the A52 east and a two lane cut through connecting the A52 west to the A60 south.

All arms of the Wheatcroft roundabout would be widened, with a new cut-through to connect the A52 west arm with the A606 south arm of the island.

A public enquiry was held in July, after National Highways submitted a compulsory purchase order to the secretary of state for transport to purchase land in the area to enable the development.

In total, around 12 extra acres of land are required for the scheme.

Jonathon Pizzey, senior project manager at National Highways, said: “We welcome this decision which is a pivotal step in our proposals to transform an important east-west link road in Nottinghamshire, connecting communities and key parts of the city and its surrounding towns.

“It has always been our priority to help reduce congestion at these busy junctions and keep traffic flowing, and we remain committed to improving commuter journeys while supporting the long-term growth of the region.”

The improvements are the latest development in a five-year scheme of improvements to the A52, after work to upgrade four of the smaller A52 junctions at Bingham, Stragglethorpe, Silverdale and Gamston got underway in 2021.