Updated: Road Works Completed ‘Ahead of Time’ at Notorious A31 ‘Hot Spot’

Published on: 14 Dec, 2021
Updated on: 15 Dec, 2021

Works at the A31/A331 junction have been completed

By David Reading

Road works aimed at easing congestion at the junction of the Blackwater Valley Route (A331) and the A31 near Ash were completed this week.

A new slip lane for vehicles travelling southbound on the A331 and wishing to travel eastbound on the A31 (towards Guildford) has been constructed to remove the need for drivers to use the A331/A31 Runfold roundabout.

Traffic lights have been installed for the benefit of pedestrians and cyclists.

The A331/A31 junction has long been regarded as notorious traffic “hotspot”, defined as a junction that has insufficient capacity for the volume of traffic using it and affects a wider area.

Map showing location of completed roadworks

Surrey County Council hopes the improved traffic flow on the A331 will help reduce congestion on neighbouring residential roads. The issue of traffic congestion is vitally important for Ash and Tongham, where there is a huge housing development boom resulting in the influx of hundreds of new residents.

Cllr Carla Morson

Cllr Carla Morson, Surrey county councillor for Ash, said: “It’s excellent news that these works have now been completed and whilst they have caused chaos while being undertaken we can now hopefully look forward to less traffic congestion in our area in the future.”

Cllr Matt Furniss

Cllr Matt Furniss, SCC’s Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure, said: “This is a well-known traffic hotspot which can cause significant delays during peak times.

“Surrey County Council took on this project and put in significant investment to ensure that this and another Guildford scheme on the A324, originally set up by Guildford Borough Council in 2018, could come to fruition and help reduce congestion in busy areas of our road network to benefit residents and others travelling through our county.

“I am delighted that these works have now been completed and ahead of time too.”

Today (December 15) the lead councillor for Regeneration at GBC, Cllr John Rigg said: “We identified the junction on Blackwater Valley as a traffic hotspot and developed options to address the problems as part of our Local Plan Process (2016-2018).

“We agreed that Surrey County Council, as Highways Authority, would deliver the work with significant funding support from ourselves. We contributed nearly £1.5million and the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) contributed approximately £2million.

“We are pleased that this scheme has been completed, reducing congestion and helping pedestrians and cyclists cross the road more safely.”