M54-M6 link road is 'no-brainer' - roads minister

Lilian Greenwood says the scheme will make a difference to local people as well as businesses

A planned link road connecting the M6 and M54 is a "no-brainer" and will improve people's lives, says the roads minister.

The government recently confirmed the project, which will join the M6 at Laney Green, Staffordshire, to the M54 at Featherstone, near Wolverhampton.

It was in the pipeline for several years, with councillors and MPs saying it could benefit Wolverhampton, Shropshire, Staffordshire and the Black Country.

"I could see, even on a quiet day... the build-up of traffic, loads and loads of lorries going close to a residential area. There must be noise; there must be air quality issues. It must be a real nuisance for people," said Lilian Greenwood, minister for the future of roads.

The link road was announced by the Department for Transport following a £92bn settlement from the government's Spending Review.

The proposed scheme would help relieve congestion on the A460, A449, and A5, ministers said.

The road will join the M6 at Laney Green, Staffordshire, to the M54 at Featherstone, near Wolverhampton

"The M54 and M6 link road will move 80% of that traffic off the local road... and onto this dedicated link, so it's bringing people from places like Telford and Wolverhampton, who will be able to go straight up and down the M6 without impacting on local people," Greenwood said.

She added that it would make a difference to businesses as well as local residents.

"These are big intercity journeys that a lot of freight companies are having to make, using what is essentially a local road."

"That's why the M54 and M6 link is so important; it's going to make a real difference to those local residencies but also to vital businesses."

The project was previously estimated to cost £200m, but Greenwood did not confirm an exact figure.

"We've got National Highways working really hard now to finalise the costs, to work out the schedule, to appoint a delivery partner; all that will be confirmed as part of the roads investment strategy that we'll be publishing before the end of March next year."