Funding bid for new £39 million Telford link to M54
More than £30 million of government funding has been requested to build a new link between Telford's busiest road and the M54.
Transport body Midlands Connect has submitted plans to the Department for Transport for 11 major road schemes across the region which aim to cut congestion, help create jobs and homes and encourage more walking and cycling.
It is asking for £596 million to deliver them – including £33m towards a new road connecting the M54 at Telford with the A442 Queensway, which is also known as the Eastern Primary or EP.
It is hoped the scheme will provide a faster connection to the M54 at junction five, avoiding the need for vehicles travelling between the motorway and A442 having to enter or exit at junction five and use alternatives such as Rampart Way or other local roads to access the A442 Hollinswood Interchange.
In its submission to the Department for Transport, Midlands Connect says the Queensway link road would help to reduce queues and delays at Forge roundabout and Hollinswood Interchange.
The transport body also says it will support housing and economic growth.
The scheme, which would begin in 2024 if funding is secured, is expected to cost £39m in total, with the remaining money to be funded locally from a mixture of public and private sector sources.
Simon Statham, head of technical programmes at Midlands Connect, said: “A reliable transport network is essential to the success of the Midlands.
"The major road network targets funding specifically at schemes that help improve job opportunities, open up new housing developments, and importantly address our environmental obligations as well.
"Objectives for the funding include understanding how a scheme will create improvements for all road users, not just cars, and improve air quality by reducing congestion.
“By speaking with a collective voice on behalf of the Midlands, we believe each of the schemes submitted has provided all the evidence the government needs to fund them in full, and we expect to be celebrating a £600 million investment in to the region to help our local authorities get on and deliver this transformational programme of upgrades.”
Angie Astley, Telford & Wrekin Council’s assistant director for customer and neighbourhood services, said the proposal was in its 'very early days'.
She added: "We have made a technical submission which has been picked up by Midlands Connect. However there are a great many considerations and issues to resolve before such a scheme ever becomes a reality."
Midlands Connect was empowered by the Department for Transport to work with the 22 councils in its partnership to identify priority schemes to improve local roads in the region, as part of a £3.5 billion national fund available from 2020-2025.
Its schemes include new bypasses, widening roads at congestion hotspots, improving junctions and roundabouts, new links between existing stretches of road and better pedestrian and cycling facilities.
