A46 Coventry junctions upgrade

The A46 is a strategic road link between the East and West Midlands, connecting Coventry and Warwickshire to the motorway network. Traffic congestion has led to slower speeds, longer trip times and more queueing for drivers. By upgrading the A46 we’ll unlock this congestion, improve journey reliability and support economic growth across the West Midlands.

Start date 23 March 2020

End date Spring 2022 (Binley only)

Cost £61.4m (Binley only)

We’re investing in the A46 at Coventry by upgrading two junctions to:

improve safety
increase road capacity
relieve traffic congestion
smooth the flow of traffic
support the growing economy

The upgrade is being delivered in two phases.

Binley junction

Work at the Binley junction started in March 2020 and is due for completion in 2022.

Walsgrave junction

Following your feedback at our consultation earlier this year we have identified a preferred route at Walsgrave junction.

Read our brochure to find out about the preferred route

Latest updates

27 July 2022
A46 Binley Flyover opens

The new 14,000-tonne flyover that separates long distance and local traffic on the A46 at Binley will open on Friday 29 July. It means that drivers travelling along the length of the A46 will no longer need to slow down to use the roundabout, reducing congestion and making journeys safer.

Drivers using the new road for the first time are being advised that there is a temporary 40 mph speed limit in place with two lanes running in each direction while some remaining work takes place elsewhere on the structure.

Work will still be taking place at Binley in two phases until Autumn 2022 with slip road closures required while teams complete the final stages of the project. Clearly signed diversion routes for affected traffic will be in place.

From Monday 1 August the northbound entry slip and southbound exit slip will be closed. This means:
- traffic travelling south intending to exit at Binley will need to continue to Toll Bar Island and return back on the A46, using the northbound Binley exit slip to continue their journey.
- local traffic entering the roundabout from the A428 east or westbound and intending to travel north on the A46 will need to join the A46 southbound and travel to Toll Bar Island, returning back northbound.
In September the northbound exit slip and southbound entry slip will then be closed. This means:
- traffic travelling north intending to exit at Binley will need to continue to Walsgrave Island and return back on the A46, using the southbound exit slip to continue their journey.
- local traffic entering the roundabout from the A428 will need to join the A46 northbound and travel to Walsgrave Island, returning back southbound. Please note there is no right turn to enter the northbound sliproad if travelling westbound on the A428. Drivers will need to continue to the next roundabout (B&Q) and then turn back.
14 June 2022
Preferred Route Announcement

Alongside our ongoing work to upgrade Binley junction, we’ve been assessing various options to upgrade the junction at Walsgrave. Our work showed that only one option was viable and could deliver the required improvements at the junction.

Between January 2022 and February 2022, we held a public consultation on this viable option, known as Option 11. We also shared detail on the discounted options and explained why these were not viable.

The feedback received during the consultation showed support for improvements at Walsgrave junction and support for Option 11 and we are therefore taking this scheme to the next stage of design development.

You can find out more about the preferred route in our brochure

What option 11 looks like

Option 11 would provide a fully grade separated junction approximately 800m north of the existing A46 Walsgrave junction. Exit and entry slip roads would be provided on both the north and southbound carriageway allowing full connection to the local road network.

The junction would be in a dumbbell layout with the slip roads connecting to a roundabout on each side of the carriageway with the roundabouts connected via an overbridge.

A number of comments were raised in response to the consultation, which we’ll investigate further at the next stage of design. These include:
- access to University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire
- walking and cycling provision
- a proposed 50mph speed limit
- the impact on local road network
What happens next

Now we have announced our preferred route, we’ll undertake the next stage of design development. This is when we’ll develop more detail on the highway structures and overall design. It’s also when the next stages of environmental assessments are completed and we’ll look at the steps we can take to reduce any environmental impacts. During this stage of the scheme, we’ll hold another public consultation, giving you the opportunity to comment on a more developed proposal.
13 April 2022
Advance notice of upcoming road closures: A46 Binley

We’ll be carrying out a number of weekend closures throughout April, May and June on the A46 between Binley and Tollbar End roundabouts in Coventry. These closures will allow our teams to safely resurface the existing carriageway which will become the new junction slip roads when the road is open to traffic.

To minimise disruption we’ll carry out the work in two phases:

Southbound
- 8pm on Friday 22 April to 6am on Monday 25 April
- 8pm on Friday 6 May to Monday 9 May
- 8pm on Friday 13 May to Monday 16 May
- 8pm on Friday 17 June to midnight on Saturday 18 June
Northbound
- 8pm on Friday 20 May to 6am on Monday 23 May
- 8pm on Friday 10 June to 6am on Monday 13 June
- 8pm on Friday 17 June to 6am on Saturday 18 June
- 8pm on Saturday 18 June to 6am on Monday 20 June
Diversion routes will be in place and clearly signed (maps below). Please plan ahead and allow additional time for your journeys, considering alternative routes if possible.

If you have any questions about this road closure you can email us at: A46CoventryJcns@nationalhighways.co.uk or call us on: 0300 123 5000

Southbound diversion

Northbound diversion
10 February 2022
Binley junction lane closures – plan ahead

We’re investing £61 million to transform Binley junction by building a flyover to separate long distance and local traffic. This means drivers staying on the A46 will no longer need to slow down to use the roundabout, reducing congestion and making journeys safer.

What’s happening next?

So our teams can finish building the new carriageway and work safely in the central reservation we need to close lanes on the A46 between Binley (TGIs) and Walsgrave junctions 24-hours a day, seven days a week.

To minimise disruption, we’ll carry out the work in two phases.

Phase 1 – 17 February, for approximately 3 weeks

The nearside lane (lane 1) on the northbound carriageway from Binley to Walsgrave will be closed to allow for carriageway construction and surfacing.

Phase 2 – around mid-March, for approximately 4 weeks

Once the carriageway is built, the outside lane (lane 2) on both the southbound and northbound carriageways will be closed. This is to allow construction work to be carried out in the central reservation.

We understand these lane closures are likely to impact on your journey times and we apologise for any inconvenience caused. The alternative to carrying out this work using lane closures was to schedule 4 full weekend closures of the carriageways with additional night-time closures. We appreciate this approach would have a caused significant inconvenience to local businesses and residents, and potentially impacted the local economy.

How can you find out more?

If you’d like further information about the A46 Coventry junctions upgrade scheme you can contact us by:
- emailing A46CoventryJcns@highwaysengland.co.uk
- calling 0300 123 5000 (this line is available 24 hours a day)
You can also sign up for regular updates, sent direct to your email inbox.

* Please note dates and times my change because of unforeseen circumstances, such as poor weather. If this happens, we’ll post regular updates on this project webpage and on our social media channels.
25 January 2022

Don't forget to give your views on our plans to improve Walsgrave junction

Our public consultation on plans to improve Walsgrave junction is open until Monday 14 February and we would like your views. This consultation relates to the Walsgrave junction upgrade only.

To find out about the planned improvements, please read our consultation brochure.

Give your views on the improvements.

There's still time to come to one of our online events

We’re holding online events via Microsoft Teams Live throughout January. The project team will explain our plans for the junction and answer any questions you might have. We’ll also record the first online event and post the video on this page.

Wednesday 26 January from 12pm to 2pm

Join the event via Microsoft Teams

Saturday 29 January from 11am to 1pm

Join the event via Microsoft Teams

You may need to create a Microsoft Teams account before joining the online event.

Speak to our project team

We’re also offering a call back service where you can request a call from one of the project team members to answer your questions about the scheme. To do this please call our contact centre on 0300 123 5000 and let them know when you’re available to receive a call back from one of the team. You can also email us at: A46CoventryJcns@highwaysengland.co.uk
19 January 2022
Watch how 32 giant steel beams were lifted into place to form a flyover at Binley junction

This new time-lapse footage shows the moment huge steel beams were lifted into place to form a flyover at Binley junction.

Specialist teams carried out the work over two weekends in December, using a 750-tonne crane to lift 32 beams - with a combined weight of 720 tonnes - into place.

This work is part of our £61 million investment to transform Binley junction by building a flyover to separate long distance and local traffic. This means drivers staying on the A46 will no longer need to slow down to use the roundabout, reducing congestion and making journeys safer.

If you’d like more information about the A46 Coventry junctions upgrade scheme you can contact us by:
- emailing A46CoventryJcns@highwaysengland.co.uk
- calling 0300 123 5000 (this line is available 24 hours a day)
11 January 2022
Walsgrave junction upgrade - give your views

The Government’s Road Investment Strategy (RIS2) 2020 - 2025 included a commitment to the A46 Coventry junctions scheme, which includes upgrading both the Binley and Walsgrave junctions.

We’ve been developing options for the Walsgrave junction. We’re now holding a public consultation from Tuesday 11 January to Monday 14 February on our plans and we would like your views. This consultation relates to the Walsgrave junction upgrade only.

To find out about the planned improvements, please read our consultation brochure.

Come to one of our online events

We’re holding online events via Microsoft Teams Live throughout January. The project team will explain our plans for the junction and answer any questions you might have. We’ll also record the first online event and post the video on this page.

Thursday 20 January from 6pm to 8pm

Join the event via Microsoft Teams

Wednesday 26 January from 12pm to 2pm

Join the event via Microsoft Teams

Saturday 29 January from 11am to 1pm

Join the event via Microsoft Teams

You may need to create a Microsoft Teams account before joining the online event.

Speak to our project team

We’re also offering a call back service where you can request a call from one of the project team members to answer your questions about the scheme. To do this please call our contact centre on 0300 123 5000 and let them know when you’re available to receive a call back from one of the team. You can also email us at: A46CoventryJcns@highwaysengland.co.uk

Why the junction improvements are needed

Current levels of congestion, and the impacts this has on journey time reliability, are having a serious effect on communities and businesses in the local area and would constrain future development.

Our plans to improve the Walsgrave junction will:
- support economic growth
- support the smooth flow of traffic
- improve safety
Give your views

Your feedback is important to us, so please share your ideas, concerns and local knowledge with us.

Give your views on our citizen space consultation webpage.

You can also respond by printing out, or requesting a printed copy, of our consultation response form.

The consultation will run from Tuesday 11 January 2022 to Monday 14 February 2022. Responses posted on the closing date will still be accepted.

What happens next

Once the consultation has closed on Monday 14 February 2022, the feedback and responses will be analysed. We’ll incorporate the comments received where possible, whilst completing further assessment and design work. A consultation report will then be produced summarising the feedback received.

The preferred route announcement for the scheme is set to take place in summer this year (2022) and will be taken through to the next stage of design development.

See more updates

Project information

Visit our A46 Coventry junctions upgrade feedback tool to have your say. The tool includes an interactive map. You can click on a location to make a specific comment, or give us your general feedback.

ECHO is a one-way feedback tool, so if you’d like a response to your feedback you can email the project team at: A46CoventryJcns@nationalhighways.co.uk

The Secretary of State for Transport has given permission for the A46 Coventry junctions upgrade at Binley Woods to proceed with the upgrade work set to start in the coming months.

The plans for the Binley junction will see the A46 dual carriageway become a flyover that will separate local traffic from using the A46 itself. This will mean that drivers staying on the A46 will not need to slow down for the roundabout, while also improving traffic flows for local businesses nearby. The design will also include improvements to the existing footways for pedestrians and cycle paths.

We’re developing options for the Walsgrave junction and held a consultation on these plans between January and February 2022. When developing options, we need to ensure that the design meets the needs of road users and the community, whilst providing value for money.

The aims of the scheme are to: