Dear Editor,
As someone who does not live adjacent to the new A51 spine road near Reaseheath, I write with serious concerns about the implications it will have on traffic patterns, journey times, and road safety – not only for local residents, but for anyone who regularly travels through the area, myself included.
The long-overdue opening of the Reaseheath bypass, now expected in late August, is being presented as a long-awaited solution to local congestion.
Yet after more than three years of delays and uncertainty, I worry that the road – once dismissed as the “abandoned road to nowhere” – may end up doing little more than shifting the existing problems rather than solving them.
The spine road, once completed, is intended to provide a new north-south link through the Kingsbourne development, connecting the A51, B5074 Main Road, Nantwich Bypass, and Barony Road at the Reaseheath Roundabout.
It will run past key locations like Reaseheath College Equestrian Centre and the River Weaver, with promised pedestrian and cycle infrastructure – a welcome addition on paper.
But while that vision may sound appealing, the reality raises some difficult questions.
The road appears to be alarmingly narrow in places – hardly ideal for larger vehicles, especially articulated lorries.
Has enough been done to assess whether this road can truly handle the volume and type of traffic it is likely to receive?
Another issue that worries me is the lack of continuity in the cycleways and footpaths.
At the Welshmans Lane end of the spine road, the path seemingly ends abruptly, with no clear connection onto the A51 heading toward Chester.
This not only reduces the usefulness of the route for cyclists and pedestrians, but could also lead to confusion and potential safety risks.
Are there plans to address this, or will this important infrastructure be left half-finished?
There’s also the troubling potential for increased congestion, not just on the A51 itself but within the new Kingsbourne estate.
Reaseheath Way, which connects to the spine road, could become an informal rat run through Kingsbourne, providing a tempting shortcut for drivers heading toward Water Lode in Nantwich.
What safeguards are in place to prevent this cut-through from overwhelming residential streets?
More broadly, I question how long drivers will be delayed by this re-routing.
The additional distance along the A51, combined with the wait at the new Kingsbourne roundabout – which will be shared with thousands of new households – may well outweigh any traffic-calming benefits.
While I sincerely hope this project ultimately improves life for those in and around Nantwich, these unanswered questions leave me uneasy.
As we wait for the spine road to finally open, I hope those in charge are listening, planning wisely, and ready to act swiftly if reality fails to meet expectations.
Best regards,
Jonathan White
Wistaston
Whilst most local authorities are trying stop rat runs, this is one has been allowed with planning. Houses close to the road with children around and a new school. Brainless. Trouble ahead, even before we start talking about match days at Nantwich Town.
In my opinion there is only one reason for the ridiculously long delay in opening this pointless road and that is, they want to sell all the houses first. If the road was opened before the houses were built no one would dream of buying a house next to this potentially disastrous section of road.
I go walking with my dog around this area on kings bourne, and have for 5 years now and I can honestly say I have never actually witnessed any building work happening or in fact, seen anyone there. There are no actual real delays, the road could be open in a matter of weeks if they wanted, they are not stupid, they know very well what they are doing.
Doubt very much the A51 had any feasibility study undertaken on it, as it isn’t suitable for HGV’s and the amount of traffic that traverses along its whole length. Residents living on the A51 are fully aware of this and extremely fed up with its usage and speeding traffic, with those residents now campaigning for this to be addressed. Concur that in places the A51 is very narrow and has a number of s bends with speed limits which are most unsuitable. In fact, there have been a number of accidents in recent weeks and I believe one fatality. A51 is not fit for purpose and needs addressing. I have reported such issues to CEC and the Police and nothing has been done, other than a high vis speed check being undertaken and reported back to myself that there wasn’t an issue with speeding (doh).