Telford businesses will 'significantly benefit' from M54/M56 link road

The council said it would continue to push hard to ensure the scheme, which it says will improve access to the town.

The multi-million-pound route was announced by Highways England last week, and is expected to slash up to 30 minutes off journeys for regular commuters each week.

About 22,000 vehicles a day will use the route from the A460, making that major road less congested.

It will also ease congestion on the A449 and A5 by separating local traffic from long-distance and commuter traffic, and overall the impact on congestion will boost the regional economy.

The route was chosen after a consultation that saw nearly three quarters of respondents give it support.

Councillor Hilda Rhodes, Telford & Wrekin Council’s cabinet member for transport, said: “The announcement from Highways England on the preferred route for an M6 and M54 link is positive and ensures that this project continues to move forward after a long time in development.

“Telford & Wrekin Council has worked hard to lobby for this scheme, which would improve access to Telford, particularly for businesses in the region, and we continue to work with Highways England and Midlands Connect to ensure that this scheme moves forward to delivery.

“We were however disappointed to learn that there will no longer be a direct connection to the M6 Toll link road which would have significantly improved east and west connectivity.

“Overall the scheme should still significantly benefit businesses and residents in Telford.”

Currently, the M54 merges with the M6 southbound at junction 10a. This means northbound road users must leave the motorway network and take other routes to connect with the M6 north at junction 11 or 12 or the toll road at junction T8 to continue their journey.

The A460 currently carries about 26,500 vehicles each day with heavy goods vehicles making up about 10 per cent of this figure.

Highways England consulted on three options for a new route, and will now take forward its preferred route, which is based on ‘Option B West’.

This option is the shortest route, providing the best journey time of the options and could save regular commuters around 30 minutes a week.

Once complete, the new route will include a two-lane dual carriageway link road between M54 junction 1 and M6 junction 11. There will be an improved junction arrangement at M54 junction 1 and M6 junction 11.