New £16m roundabout will 'massively improve traffic' on major road, says MP

A new £16m roundabout will 'massively improve traffic' on one of the county's major roads, according to an MP.

Progress continues on the Mile End Roundabout in Oswestry. Picture: Shropshire Council

North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson has been given a first-hand tour of the progress on Oswestry's new Mile End Roundabout.

The MP was also shown how the scheme is 'dual carriageway ready', for when and if funding can be secured to increase the A5 to two lanes between Oswestry and Montford Bridge.

It is currently the only single carriageway section of the A5, which runs between London and Holyhead.

From left, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for highways, Councillor Dean Carroll, the authority's deputy leader Ed Potter, local member Councillor Joyce Barrow, and North Shropshire MP, Owen Paterson

The latest Mile End changes, expected to be completed in spring next year, will see radical changes to the way the junction works.

Shropshire Council is creating a second roundabout to the north of the existing Mile End roundabout.

The project, being carried out with Balfour Beatty, also includes a dedicated entrance to the council's new Oswestry Innovation Park.

The new roundabout will sit alongside Mile End Roundabout to the north, with four exits and will take traffic from the A5, bypassing the existing Mile End Roundabout.

Motorists driving from Shrewsbury to North Wales – or vice versa – will be separated off to use the new roundabout to continue their journey.

Mr Paterson, who was given a tour of the progress alongside several Shropshire Councillors, said he was delighted to see the development for the first time.

He said: "It is a great project. There is £16m of of funding from Shropshire Council, the Marches LEP, and other agencies and it will massively improve traffic on the A5 – and I have been working for improvements to the A5 since 1997."

The Conservative MP said that the changes would make a difference to local businesses, and national firms which use the route to access ports, and that action had been needed to address the 'totally inadequate' roundabout in place at the moment.

He said: "It will be a huge benefit to people locally and nationally because it is a main link road between ports and the West Midlands.

"It will also help local industry open on the innovation park and it is incredibly good value for £16m."

He added: "It is also dual carriageway friendly so it can be converted to dual carriageway when we get the A5 dualled."