How will the Teddington Hands junction be upgraded to address the real concerns about safety and queuing when turning into and out of Teddington?
For the section of the new A46 link that would follow the route of the A435, it is expected that some widening of the road would be needed to bring it up to National Highways’ standards for trunk roads along with improved provision for walking, cycling and horse-riding. Drainage improvements would also be required (noting that stakeholders have highlighted problems with flooding where the A435 crosses the Tirle Brook). Currently, it is assumed that widening of the carriageway would take place towards the east, to avoid land-take from residential property including the traveller site located immediately adjacent to the road on the western side. The precise extent of widening that would be required has not yet been determined, but the aim would be to stay as close to the existing A435 as possible while meeting relevant highway design standards, including for property access and the Teddington junction. Where widening requires removal of trees, hedgerows, etc. mitigation would be provided (i.e. replacement
planting and potentially other landscaping).
The Teddington junction would be upgraded. Current designs standards for a new single-carriageway trunk road would require a protected area in the centre of carriageway for right-turning vehicles – as shown in the illustration below. The shaded area would be a formal central reservation, and the layout provides separate areas for vehicles turning into Teddington from the south and from Teddington to the north. This is a higher standard of provision than existing A46 junctions between Teddington Hands and Evesham, which do not include a central reservation. It would also be expected that the speed limit would be reduced either side of the junction, probably extending north to the proposed new roundabout. The layout shown below does not indicate provision for walkers and cyclists, but this would also be a consideration in future work.