A plan to build an improved link between the M54 and M6 motorways is among more than 50 transport schemes to receive government support.
The projects have been announced by the Department for Transport following a £92bn settlement from the government’s national Spending Review.
There is currently no direct motorway link allowing drivers using the M54 to get onto the northbound carriage of the M6, meaning they must use roads such as the A460.
This has led to high volumes of both long-distance and local traffic using roads through villages including Featherstone, Hilton and Shareshill.
National Highways bosses said the road was not designed for the amount and type of traffic currently using it, and this had led to delays, congestion and high accident rates.
There were also air quality issues in villages along the A460 due to the high volume of traffic, they said.
The proposed scheme would helped relieve congestion on the A460, A449, and A5, they added.
It would support economic growth in Telford, Shrewsbury, Wolverhampton, Cannock and Tamworth, bosses claimed, by improving traffic flow on east-west and north-south routes.
“These vital investments are long overdue, will transform local communities and improve living standards across the country,” said Chancellor Rachel Reeves.
A government spokesperson said the anticipated reduction in journey times would save thousands of hours every week for commuters, businesses and freight operators.
They said officials were also committed to continuing 28 local road schemes – including the Middlewich Eastern Bypass in Cheshire.
The proposed road will be a two-way single carriageway road that will connect a new roundabout junction off Pochin Way to a new roundabout junction to the south, connecting with the A533 Booth Lane.
The 1.6-mile route would include a new bridge over the Trent and Mersey Canal and a new bridge over the Sandbach-to-Northwich railway line.
“The campaign to build the bypass has been running for over 40 years,” said Mid-Cheshire MP Andrew Cooper.
“We may have got this over the line, but this victory belongs to everyone who wrote a letter, signed a petition, and campaigned hard for so many years to get this on the government’s agenda.”
Congleton MP Sarah Russell said it had been a major lobbying campaign.
“For the sake of our residents and the connection between our two constituencies, I’m glad we can finally confirm that the project is happening,” she said.
Richard Price
BBC News, West Midlands
BBC Shropshire
