A38 expansion start date – campaigners react

Campaigners against a major expansion of the A38 in Derby made their feelings clear before a vital court hearing began on May 14. Image by Stop the A38 Expansion

A start date on work for the major expansion of the A38 has been revealed – but campaigners have hit out at the decision to approve the project.

The Government announced its commitment to transform one of Derby’s busiest roads this week in a move it says will boost the economy and provide “smoother and safer journeys” for motorists.

The commitment means the A38’s three main roundabouts at Kingsway, Markeaton and Little Eaton are set for significant change.

The expansion will see the creation of flyovers, underpasses, and roads widened from four lanes (two on either side) to six (three on either side) across the main city route.

Works on the A38 are part of the Government’s £27 billion “Road Investment Strategy 3″ (RIS3) for highways improvements across England.

Council leaders in the city have welcomed the investment, calling it a “vital boost for Derby’s economy”.

Councillor Carmel Swan, Derby City Council cabinet member for transport, said: “By upgrading key junctions around Derby, this funding will make journeys safer, smoother and more predictable for drivers, whilst keeping our local economy moving.”

But the approval comes following years of uncertainty.

Campaigners have battled since 2019 to stop the scheme and successfully challenged the Government on legal grounds after environmental and economical concerns were raised.

The Stop The A38 Expansion group has called the proposals “a waste of money” and state the project will lead to more traffic problems, increase air pollution and will see thousands of trees destroyed at Markeaton Park.

After plans were revised a second legal challenge by the campaign group was lost. But the group said it will keep opposing the scheme.

The Department for Transport (DfT) has now told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that there is a confirmed time frame for when works are set to start.

The DfT said the A38 expansion project is expected to begin during the second part of the next phase of road improvements. This will run from 2030 to 2031.

But the Government was unable to confirm costs. It said National Highways was updating its business case and estimated costs are being reviewed in line with the works.

Initially, the A38 expansion was to cost £250 million but this estimate was made years ago. It has been recently reported that costs could soar up to the £600 million mark, taking inflation into account.

The Stop the A38 Expansion group says the money should be spent on  “infrastructure that reduces car dependency and protects nature”. 

Clare Wood, from the campaign group, said: “RIS3 confirms the A38 Derby Junctions scheme will start in this road period. Yet the government still hasn’t published a full business case or the accounting officer assessment that Treasury requires for any project of this scale.

“The infrastructure we need is infrastructure that reduces car dependency, protects nature, and supports genuinely sustainable housing and land use. Instead, we are being asked to spend over £600 million destroying centuries-old trees, damaging local wildlife sites, building over parkland and agricultural land, increasing pollution and widening roads through Derby, on a scheme whose own economic case has collapsed.”

Transport Action Network – a group calling for “better and more sustainable” transport – is also critical of the A38 approval.

Its statement said: “While Transport Action Network welcomes the increased budgets and emphasis on maintenance and renewing the ageing road network, it is concerned that RIS3 is based on outdated traffic forecasts. 

“This has led to the inclusion of a number of poor value road schemes, such as the A38 Derby Junctions and A66 Northern Trans Pennine, that are more likely to increase congestion than solve it.”