Four road improvement schemes given green light

Government funding of £90 million has been awarded to upgrade four major road schemes in England.

The schemes approved by Department for Transport (DfT) are: A350 Chippenham Bypass phases four and five in Wiltshire; A647 Dawsons Corner and Stanningley Bypass in Leeds; South East Aylesbury Link Road (SEALR) in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire; and A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange in Essex.

The A350 Chippenham Bypass, one of the most important routes connecting the South West with the Midlands and South East, is expected to see journey times reduced by up to a quarter, with two sections of the road to be dualled and improvements made to the roundabout.

Future of roads minister, Lilian Greenwood, said: “The UK’s roads are the backbone of a growing economy, which is why we’re giving these vital schemes the go ahead, helping deliver our ‘Plan for Change’.

“Economic growth has been stunted for too long, so we’re giving the green light and investing in vital schemes to help people get from A to B more easily however they choose to travel.”

The area around the A647 Dawsons Corner and Stanningley Bypass in Leeds has seen high traffic levels worsen over the years. 

The replacement of the roundabout and structural renewal of the bypass is expected to speed up traffic for all modes of road transport.

Upgrades to the SEALR scheme will reduce air pollution in the town centre, link up new developments in the area and create more walking and cycling options, with a new 1.2-km two-lane dual carriageway link road. 

Fleets in Essex will also see faster journeys, as well as improved safety on the A127/A130 Fairglen Interchange. 

The scheme will see enhancements to the interchange and surrounding roundabouts, serving thousands of drivers every day. 

Basildon and Southend town centres are expected to see growth and the scheme will also improve capacity for the route serving London Southend Airport.

Michelle Gardner, deputy director for policy at Logistics UK, said: “80% of UK freight travels on roads at some point on its journey to the end user and an efficient road network is critical to enable business to drive growth across the whole economy. 

“Congestion makes journey planning highly unpredictable which increases business costs through factors such as missed deliveries, unnecessary overtime, increased fuel consumption and inefficient fleet utilisation.

“The schemes given the go-ahead today show how even smaller-scale strategic upgrades can have a dramatic impact across the whole network. 

“Upgrading the national infrastructure in this way makes supply chains more resilient and enables logistics providers to ensure that the right goods are in the right place at the right time – whether that is a factory, office, hospital or doorstep.”

James Barwise, policy lead at the Road Haulage Association (RHA), added: “Congestion costs the UK economy £30.8 billion a year so we welcome the Government’s commitment to improving our roads by green lighting these vital schemes. Better roads can speed up journeys and unlock economic growth across the country.”