February 22, 2001 11:27: BUSINESSES struggling to cope with the hell of Handy Cross will learn what the Government is planning to do about it when transport minister Keith Hill visits the bottleneck on March 8.

With an election coming, county councillors expect good news including money to pay for improvements at the High Wycombe junction. Measures should include new traffic lights and slip roads, in particular to and from the A404.

Buckinghamshire County Council's head of transportation, John Currell, said the work should take some movement out of existing lanes, for example by creating another lane exclusively for traffic going from High Wycombe to the M40 towards London and similar work for Marlow traffic.

There could also be park and ride site costing £5 million in a total package of about £10 million. This low cost scheme would be a far cry from radical restructuring of the junction first proposed ten years ago at a cost of £78 million and dropped.

Rodney Royston, the county council's cabinet member for environment and transport, said: "We are all hoping the minister will make a statement about the work that is to be carried out there. It is something the county has been pushing for."

Regional planning committee member, and deputy leader of the county council, Bill Chapple, said solving the bottleneck was important.

"What they are talking about is extra capacity slip roads and taking traffic off the roundabout," he said.

Councils will work in partnership to make sure the improvements took place. It would be paid for by extra money on top of that already promised to the county under its five-year transport plan. The South East Regional Assembly, (Seera) a body of councillors representing councils from Kent to Bucks is supporting the improvements, but stresses there must be extra capital and revenue for councils so they can deliver supporting local transport measures.

Lance Slater, chairman of the transport and planning committee of Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce, Wycombe and South Bucks area, said: "It is fantastic that he (Keith Hill) will be visiting Handy Cross."