Published: 25 October 2012
The Highways Agency is to make 57 vital road improvements to reduce congestion, boost the economy, and improve safety, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin has announced.
The £170 million investment is part of a £217 million programme to remove bottlenecks and keep traffic moving on England’s motorways and major A roads. The economic benefit of these 57 schemes is estimated at around £3 billion.
Many of the improvements will be delivered in 2013 and 2014, and they will all be completed by March 2015.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: “These £217 million road improvements prove the government’s determination to accelerate growth and cut congestion.”
The improvements include an £11 million scheme to widen and improve junction 4 of the M5 near Bromsgrove, with significant benefits for Longbridge, former home of the MG Rover manufacturing plant.
At junction 5 of the M27, near Eastleigh, a £4.9 million scheme will reduce congestion by widening approach roads and slips roads and providing a segregated left turn lane onto the M27 eastbound. This supports several local development plans, including Solent Enterprise Zone, Eastleigh Riverside, Southampton Airport and Southampton City Centre, with the potential to create around 12,000 jobs and 7,000 homes.