Two main Shrewsbury roads to get £9m overhaul

The Highways Agency is due to start work on scheme for the A5 and A49 around Shrewsbury in November.

There will be major changes to the Emstrey Island roundabout, Churncote Island and the Edgebold roundabout on the A5, with the A5/A49 Preston Boats roundabout being removed altogether and replaced with a signal-controlled junction.

It is hoped the changes will help Shrewsbury's plans to create more than 2,000 jobs and 1,800 homes in the area by 2020.

The plans will go on display during a two-day exhibition at Salop Leisure on September 11 and 12, between 10am and 4pm.

Claire Wild, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "It's really good news for Shropshire that the Government is investing almost £9 million into improving junctions on what is one of the busiest stretches of road in the county.

"We are happy to support the Highways Agency by organising this exhibition so people can see what the plans are, and we will do all we can to help minimise any disruption while the work takes place.

"Although there will be some inconvenience to drivers during the project, the long-term benefits will be huge by greatly reducing congestion on the Shrewsbury bypass in future."

Jess Kenny, Highways Agency project manager, added: "Safety is our top priority and we are committed to improving roads for motorists by reducing congestion and keeping traffic on the move.

"This scheme will not only make the proposed junctions safer, but will also support connectivity and the long-term economic prosperity of the region."

Work will mainly take place at night, between 8pm and 6am, in an attempt to minimise any disruption to traffic.

All four schemes are expected to be completed by early 2015.

The £8.75 million investment by the Government is part of a £317 million "pinch point" improvement programme designed to boost local economies, reduce congestion and improve safety on the road network in England.

A total of £3.85 million will be spent on the Emstrey Island roundabout, with the investment announced just three years after £500,000 was spent on a revamp that saw traffic lights installed. Engineers will realign both A5 approaches to the island, as well as creating dedicated turning lanes and through-lanes for traffic on the A5 in a bid to reduce congestion.The A49 job will see £3.4 million being spent on replacing the existing Preston Boats roundabout with a traffic lights junction.

A further £1.5 million will go on widening the A458 westbound and A5 northbound approach roads to the Churncote Island roundabout, as well as improving signage and road markings. The final scheme will see £400,000 spent on widening the approaches to the Edgebold roundabout on the A5 and improving signs and markings.

When motorists can expect to face disruption:

Preston Boats: What: Replacing the roundabout with a junction controlled by traffic lights. When: Autumn 2013 for approximately 33 weeks. Cost: £3.4 million.

Emstrey: What: Realigning the carriageway. Traffic on the A5 will be able to travel directly across the roundabout using a new section of carriageway through the centre of the roundabout. When: Summer 2014 for approximately 20 weeks. Cost: £3.85 million.

Churncote: What: Widening the carriageway at the approaches to the junction, with two lanes on the A458 approach and on the A5 northbound. When: Spring 2014 for approximately 12 weeks. Cost: £1.46 million.

Edgebold: What: Widening side road approaches to the roundabout; realigning road markings; realigning road signs. When: Spring 2014 approximately 14 weeks. Cost: £380,000