Mexborough: Approval needed for £10m funding for major road changes near rail station

Greens Way will undergo significant “realignment” from a dual carriageway to a single carriageway in both directions, if Mayor Ros Jones’ cabinet accepts over £10million worth of transport funding next week.

According to the cabinet report, changing the carriageway “enables improved accessibility to the town centre area which was lost following the requirement to remove the flyover”.

The Greens Way flyover was demolished in 2022, amid concerns of its deteriorating condition.

The cabinet report states: “The recent demolition of the flyover has seen significant loss of footfall especially on Bank Street. This dual lane carriageway is creating a barrier between the town centre, the station and the recently improved leisure destinations on the canal as well as other uses further south.

“Greens Way’s highway capacity far exceeds the amount of traffic it currently carries (obtained from surveys undertaken in June 2022), which means that space currently given over to traffic lanes could be changed to provide more space for other users.”

The proposed changes will see improved active travel infrastructure added to safely connect Mexborough Station with the retail core.

Recent years have seen multiple fatal accidents, including as recently as February 2024, when a 75-year-old man died after being hit by two cars.

“The new alignment will allow improved pedestrian access to the rail station supporting footfall to the retail core. The proposed layout will comprise a two-way segregated cycleway and a footway along the entire length of Greens Way.

“A continuous footway can also be provided on the south side of Greens Way with new pedestrian crossings proposed at either end, and improved crossings at Station Road and close to Market Street to ensure that accessing the town centre from the south on foot is easy and safe.”

Work has already started on the regeneration of Mexborough town centre using money from the Levelling-Up Fund, allocated under the Conservatives. These ongoing works are set to last 21 months, the report states, having started in August this year.

Mayor Ros Jones’ cabinet will be asked to accept the £10m of transport funding for the Greens Way realignment when it meets on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

The money includes £8,000,007 from the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), also allocated under the Conservatives, and £2.8m from the Mayors Sustainable Transport Fund (MSTF) allocated when Dan Jarvis MP was South Yorkshire Mayor.

Mexborough is also set to receive money from the current Labour government’s Pride in Place scheme.

Mexborough West was one of three Doncaster communities to be identified to receive £20m each from the government – or £2m-a-year for the next decade.

Conisbrough North and New Rossington were the other two local communities to receive equal shares of the £60m total invested in Doncaster.

If cabinet do accept the funding as recommended, and subject to the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (SYMCA) accepting the relevant business case, works are expected to commence on Greens Way in January 2026.

The report states: “The proposals will result in Greens Way becoming a much safer, less traffic dominated street (opposed to the road it is now), with reduced vehicle speeds and noise, providing an overall more pleasant and attractive environment for everyone, as well as improving connections to the station and the canal.

“It will help reduce air pollution and contribute to reducing greenhouse emissions, making a contribution toward meeting our climate change targets.”