£6.12m work to reduce congestion and boost Shropshire economy
The Highways Agency has today revealed two schemes in Shropshire as part of its pinch point programme to boost the economy, reduce congestion and improve safety.
Improvement work will take place at Junction 5 of the M54 at the Forge roundabout and also on the Mile End roundabout in Oswestry.
The improvement work at Forge roundabout will reduce the current problems with queuing and congestion at the junction. Traffic lights will be added to some sections of the roundabout to reduce delays, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours. The scheme will cost £2.22m and begin in 2014.
In Oswestry, improvement work at the Mile End roundabout will involve increasing the size of the existing roundabout to improve capacity and safety at the junction. At a cost of £3.9m the scheme will also start in 2014.
The two schemes in Shropshire are part of 14 in the midlands representing an investment of £26 million – which aim to remove bottlenecks and keep traffic moving
Nationally, the programme comprises 58 schemes, worth £98 million, that will be delivered by March 2015 and will bring an estimated £1.4 billion of economic benefit.
This announcement brings the total investment for the 123-scheme national pinch point programme to £317 million, which includes an extra £100 million announced by the Chancellor in his 2012 autumn statement.
Roads Minister Stephen Hammond said:
“The Government is committed to cutting congestion and accelerating growth – that is why the Chancellor injected an extra £100 million into the Highways Agency pinch point programme last autumn.
“This third round of innovative schemes has the potential to help create more than 94,000 new jobs and 61,000 new homes, while making life easier for the thousands of motorists and businesses who use these roads every day.”
The schemes are split into road improvement projects and technology schemes.
The projects have been developed in conjunction with local enterprise partnerships and local authorities to promote local economic growth. They will improve access to nearby development sites such as enterprise zones and locally designated areas, as well as to international and national gateways.
