Council bosses will check whether ambitious plans which involve removing an underpass on a major road in Watford, forcing all traffic onto a roundabout, are feasible.

Last Thursday, the Observer revealed details of a town centre masterplan by Watford Borough Council which includes a number of ideas to regenerate and redevelop the top of the town centre.

A third phase outlined by the council is to fill in the pedestrian subway between the town hall and The Parade, and Rickmansworth Road underpass, which would leave drivers with no option but to travel via the roundabout at Beechen Grove and Hempstead Road.

Rickmansworth Road (right) runs underneath the roundabout but this underpass would be lost under the proposed plans

In the masterplan, a pedestrian crossing would be created at ground level connecting The Parade and town hall site.

The council says phase 3 of the masterplan proposes to improve the pedestrian and cycling experience in the area.

A number of comments left on last week's article mentioned the potential impact of shutting down the underpass.

One commenter wrote that the "whole area would resemble a car park with stationary traffic", adding the council appears to "want to remove a perfectly good underpass which keeps traffic flowing and replace it with a scheme designed to do the exact opposite"

However, the council has acknowledged these concerns and said it has already been working with Hertfordshire County Council to see whether the proposed system would work.

The authorities have developed a micro-simulation transport model which looks at current and future traffic flows in central Watford, including traffic associated with new developments.

Rather than simply creating a pedestrian crossing and hoping for the best, the transport model allows the authorities to look holistically at what other changes may need to be made on the road network in the area, to ensure traffic keeps flowing.

The council says it has done some initial work to understand traffic implications, but a lot more detailed work and vigorous testing is needed before any scheme can progress.

An eight-week consultation on the masterplan will begin imminently and the council is urging people to get involved and have their say.

See the full draft masterplan here