New Mile End junction officially opened in Oswestry

The official opening of the new Mile End junction in Oswestry has taken place with the new junction set to ease congestion, improve the gateway to the town and open up land for new housing as well as the proposed Oswestry Innovation Park.

A special ribbon-cutting ceremony was held at the site this week, with Councillor Potter and local member, Councillor Joyce Barrow, on hand to declare the road open, along with senior officers from the council, WSP, LEP, Homes England and Balfour Beatty.

The work – designed and supervised by WSP, delivered by Balfour Beatty – and project managed by Shropshire Council is nearing completion and is open for motorists.

Final works to commission the permanent street lighting and complete landscaping will continue over the coming weeks with planting also being completed later in the Spring.

To facilitate this, a section of the old A5 remains closed for the short term and there will be periodic use of traffic management measures to ensure safety to the public and workforce.

The project has been delivered on time and to budget and has been made possible by support from our partners at the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and Homes England.

Councillor Ed Potter, Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Economic Growth, Planning and Regeneration, said:

"I am absolutely delighted to see the new junction going live, it will bring huge benefits to Oswestry and the wider economy of Shropshire and surrounding areas.

"It will help secure growth and development to Oswestry and the county. The next phase will be a spine road which will enable the Innovation Park to be built and we are now looking forward to working on that and bringing ambitious partners on board.

"The new Innovation Park area will also be made accessible for pedestrians and cyclists by the construction of a new bridge over the A5 which is due to commence later in the year."

Sonia Roberts, Marches LEP deputy chair, said:

"It is wonderful to be able to celebrate this landmark milestone for what is a hugely-important project. These works will not only help keep business and people moving but open up Oswestry Innovation Park creating new jobs, homes and an economic dividend for the town and region.

"The Marches LEP has invested £5.7million of Growth Deal 3 funding into the Innovation Park as part of our drive to deliver economic success to all parts of the region, and is delighted to see the progress being made here.