Vital M54 link to the M6 rests on new deal

Business chiefs and council bosses have been campaigning for the connection for years.

It is hoped the move would significantly reduce the time it takes drivers to travel between the M54 and M6, as well as the toll road. It will also improve access to the new Jaguar Land Rover site at i54.

Currently drivers have to take a detour on single-carriageway A-roads to access the M6 northbound from the M54.

A Highways Agency spokesperson said: "The improvement scheme will go ahead, subject to options being finalised, agreement being reached on developer contributions and successful completion of statutory processes.

"As with any scheme, it is standard practice for the Highways Agency to engage with stakeholders on plans, ahead of a public consultation into options.

"The Agency will therefore be consulting with the public later this year on the options identified for the route of any improvement."

The Highways Agency has published four possible routes that would allow the M54 to directly join the M6 northbound for the first time.

The designs suggest either a remodelling of the existing junction 10A of the M6 or a new road to join junction 11.

Consultation will begin this month.

Talks are also set to start with MPs and local authorities in the area, while public exhibitions are expected to take place later in the year.

The proposals first gained government support in 2003 and last year it announced plans to fund the scheme subject to contributions from developers.

It will also provide a connection with the M6 Toll.

The £900 million motorway carries around half the 70,000 vehicles it was expected to service every year, and drivers instead continue to use the clogged-up M6 to bypass Birmingham.

A new M54 link road would potentially deliver a boost to its numbers.

It has also been claimed that a lack of signs linking the M54 with the M6 Toll could be holding back the growth of the economy.

There are also proposals for a direct M54 and M6 Toll link road that would ease congestion on the A460 and boost business links between Staffordshire, the Black Country and Shropshire.

Two options would see a new road created between Featherstone and Hilton Park.

In a letter to Shrewsbury MP Daniel Kawczynski, revealed on Twitter, Minister of State for the Department of Transport John Hayes said: "The Government has announced it is committed to funding this scheme as part of its current spending round. The Highways Agency is working to finalise options and will provide an update in the autumn."