Coventry residents have called for a new road to the city's main hospital to be built as part of huge A46 changes.

People told National Highways a second route to University Hospital should be included in a new junction at Walsgrave.

They said the current set-up of one main entry and exit road to the major trauma centre causes major traffic problems for patients, staff and local residents.

But the roads company rejected calls to build the longed-for link road, saying it is outside their scope and not necessary for the scheme.

Plans for a new separated junction at the A46 in Walsgrave have gone to government to be examined and decided on. National Highways says the scheme will cut congestion and make journeys quicker and safer.

But dozens of locals brought up the need for a second access to the hospital in responses to a survey by the company, as detailed in the company's planning application. Many called for the current scheme to be changed to include the route to the medical centre and some claimed it would be better just to have the link road built.

Maps show University Hospital has one main entry and exit road going west to Clifford Bridge Road. It has a small link road going north to Hall Lane but this is signed from the residential street as for blue light response vehicles only.

The "super-hospital" opened almost two decades ago and boasts more than 1,000 beds and thousands of staff. It is separated from the A46 east of the city by fields and the River Sowe.

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Plans for a blue light access road are part of the council's 900-home housing allocation at Walsgrave Hill Farm dating back to 2017.

"Lives at risk"

Responding to the plans in late 2023, people said current access to the hospital is "shocking" and traffic to and from the medical centre a "nightmare." Locals said they had been waiting for the second entrance for years and claimed this could be the only chance to fix the area's traffic woes.

A long-term resident of the city told the company: "I have visited and review the proposed upgrade planned for the A46 Walsgrave junction with total disbelief." They claimed moving the city's A&E from the centre to University Hospital has created traffic problems because drivers must use one route.

They said traffic congestion means a journey can go from five to 45 minutes and claimed earlier calls for a second route appear to have been ignored. They added: "At times I have witnessed ambulances trying to gain access to the hospital during traffic congestion, limited as they are not able to manoeuvre through traffic which is practically at 'stand still.

"Lives are being put at risk as a second direct route must be considered urgently within the proposed upgrade." A person working at the trust also supported a link from the junction to the hospital.

This commenter said patients "always" complain about getting to the hospital and "nightmare" afternoon traffic means it can take an hour for staff to leave the site. They said the direct link could mean patients needing emergency treatment are seen faster and staff travelling can avoid using roads in the city.

A third person said building the road now would "make sense" after huge disruption in previous years. "With a 3rd lot of major works proposed after we have already put up with major disruption due to the Tollbar and Binley junctions, it would make sense to include the access route to the hospital at the same time," they said.

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"The hospital is in desperate need of an additional entrance for visitors as well as the proposed staff and emergency vehicles." Another told the company: "You must add a link to the hospital… We have tried to have this provision for many years and it is always ignored."

Another wrote: "It's a great idea, and necessary, but I feel very strongly that there should be a second entrance to the hospital included. It has always been an issue & the hospital traffic causes HUGE delays travelling around

Walsgrave, it's an absolute nightmare.

"It makes complete sense to add a second entrance to the hospital as it would be perfectly positioned and would take a huge amount of traffic away from the residential areas, which is desperately needed."

Link road "out of remit"

But National Highways' plans have not changed to include a new link road to the hospital. In their responses to the comments, they said the scheme has been designed so a future link road can be added to a roundabout at the junction.

The company also said it would not get in the way of any developer providing access from this point to the hospital and any future housing development. They stressed their purpose is to look after a strategic road network and said they had built a "robust business case" for improving the A46. 

Their response added: "The Applicant [National Highways] is of the opinion that a link road to University Hospital Coventry is not integral to the functionality of the Scheme and falls outside the remit of the strategic highways company (the Applicant)." The company also claimed changing the junction will speed up people's journeys and likely mean fewer people use local roads like Clifford Bridge Road. 

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Dozens of locals responding to the consultation also supported the company's design for the new junction, saying it will help reduce traffic jams and means the A46 no longer comes to a stop at the roundabout. They said it would reduce the risk of serious accidents and one suggested it would help plans for the nearby housing development come forward.

Many also called for work to start as soon as possible. If the scheme is agreed, work is set to begin in late 2026 with the new junction opening in early 2028.