Work moving fast on Oswestry roundabout upgrade to boost economy
Work is well under way on the upgrade to Oswestry’s Mile End roundabout.
The project, led by Shropshire Council and Balfour Beatty, will ease congestion, improve the gateway to the town and open up land for the proposed Oswestry Innovation Park.
Shropshire Council’s deputy leader Steve Charmley and executive director of Place Mark Barrow were given a tour of the site along with other senior officers to see how work is progressing.
Councillor Charmley said: “It was absolutely fantastic to see how quickly Balfour Beatty are getting to work on Mile End – they are working 24/7 on site now and you can see the transformation taking place before your very eyes.
“It's such an exciting time for Oswestry – this is serious investment from Shropshire Council into the town and it will bring businesses, jobs and prosperity.
“The work will ease congestion on the Mile End roundabout, will enable the proposed Oswestry Innovation Park to be brought forward and will create so many jobs – both now in the construction period and again when the Innovation Park opens.
“There are some road closures overnight while the work is ongoing but this minor inconvenience will be worth it for the multiple benefits the work will bring to the whole area.”
The existing Mile End Junction is a five-arm roundabout with one exit that was unused.
Housing sites already allocated through the current Local Plan in Oswestry require improvements to the road network to enable approved sites to be developed.
To this end, Shropshire Council has accessed funds from the Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) through Homes England and the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) for this project where a new roundabout layout is being constructed.
People can find out more about the plans and keep up-to-date with regular newsletters about the project by visiting shropshire.gov.uk/future-oswestry-project