The Department for Transport has announced the granting of more than £43 million of government funding for A38 upgrades in Worcestershire to tackle congestion, improve local journeys, and support thousands of new jobs and homes.
The move aims to tackle congestion and improve local journeys. According to the government, the project will also generate £93m in economic benefits for the local community with improvements supporting 1,100 new jobs and 5,500 new homes.
At present, the A38 experiences significant congestion with severe delays at junctions with unreliable journey times for our members and the local community.
Planned works will see new lanes at key junctions and widening of the existing highway to improve traffic flow. The upgrades will take place on a 7.5 mile stretch of the route, between the M5 Junction 4 to the north and the A38/B4094 to the south.
The total cost of the scheme is £49.8 million, with the Department for Transport committing to provide just over £43 million and Worcestershire County Council providing the remainder.
“I know local residents in Worcestershire have been affected by congestion along this key route for too long,” said Transport Minister Baroness Vere.
RHA’s Regional Operations Manager Rhys Williams also commented on the news:
“This announcement is welcomed by us and our members. The A38 is a vital piece of infrastructure in this area and currently subject to congestion on a daily basis. The upgrade will hopefully go some way to alleviating the misery for local residents, hauliers and motorists, who use this route regularly.”
Photo credits @ Philip Halling / A4104 approaching the A38 junction