Twenty-year improvement plan for the A46 revealed

Taking a “corridor approach” to improving the whole A46 through the Midlands could boost the economy by £7.1bn, according to transport body Midlands Connect which is calling for urgent, co-ordinated action to improve traffic flows on what it calls one of the country’s most important trade routes.

Midlands Connect has released the first ever improvement plan for the entire A46 corridor, with a 20-year vision to future-proof the route and boost the national economy.

Stage One of the A46 Corridor Study recommends the acceleration of coordinated investment at key congestion hotspots – including Evesham, Stratford-upon-Avon, Coventry, Leicester, Newark and Lincoln – where rush hour average speeds regularly fall below 20mph.

The A46 corridor stretches for 155 miles from Gloucestershire to Lincolnshire, is home to 5.5 million people and 2.9 million jobs, with an economic output of £115bn a year, equivalent to 9% of the English economy.

As well as serving local and regional traffic between the towns and cities along it, Midlands Connect says the A46 corridor is a vital trade and export route, providing access to Birmingham and East Midlands airports and with major ports on the Bristol Channel and the Humber at either end.

Midlands Connect says it supports all the current and planned interventions to improve the A46, including already planned delivery of improvements to junctions at Walsgrave and Binley in Coventry. In addition, it has identified a number of potential improvement schemes across the Midlands, with input from Highways England and local authorities.

The current priorities include:

·       Gloucestershire & Worcestershire
o   Possible interventions and options for new bypasses in Ashchurch, Beckford and Evesham to provide a high-quality dual carriageway standard between the M5 and M40
·       Coventry & Warwickshire
o   Alcester to Warwick Expressway
o   Possible interventions around Stratford-upon-Avon
·       Leicestershire
o   Potential for a Leicester Eastern/Southern Bypass, including a link from M69 J2 and a new M1 J20A
o   Upgrading Leicester Western Bypass
o   Improving Hobbyhorse Interchange at Syston
·       Newark
o   Support acceleration of Newark Bypass proposal
o   Overcome congestion hotspots to lock in benefits of previous upgrades
·       Lincolnshire
o   Potential for southern Lincoln bypass, connecting to the under construction eastern bypass
o   Targeted improvements on the A15 north of Lincoln.

Forecasts suggest that corridor-wide improvement of the A46 could bring economic benefits of £7.1bn over the next 60 years through quicker journeys and improved productivity.

Maria Machancoses, director, Midlands Connect, said: “Using today’s approach to funding, it could be 40 years before the A46 receives the investment it needs to match the growth in jobs and housing expected along the corridor. We must do things differently and accelerate a long-term investment plan to make sure economic growth isn’t held back. Delivering our vision will not only make our businesses more prosperous, it will improve the quality of life of millions of people living and working along the corridor. Doing nothing will hold back this progress.”

The second stage of Midlands Connect’s A46 corridor study will further develop the proposed improvements and their respective business cases, and is due for release in 2019.

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