Gloucestershire Council chiefs endorse plans to improve M5 junction

The A46 is a busy commuter and trade route between Gloucestershire and the Midlands

Plans to reduce major bottlenecks at a M5 junction have received the endorsement of council chiefs.

A £6.1m transport scheme will see the transformation of junction 9 of the M5 and the A46 near Tewkesbury in Gloucestershire.

The plans are a step closer after Gloucestershire County Council agreed to proceed with procurement work.

Cabinet member David Gray said the improvements will support the economy and fuel "exciting developments".

Mr Gray, who is responsible for environment and planning, added: "Tewkesbury is already one of the fastest growing economies in the country which reflects well on how desirable Gloucestershire is as a location for particularly high tech industries.

Better connections

"This development enhances the A46 link through to the Midlands and beyond and will reduce bottlenecks in the existing regional and national infrastructure."

It is hoped the improvements will better connect Tewkesbury to Cheltenham and Gloucester.

National Highways have agreed to deliver the scheme if the outline business scheme is approved, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. 

Cabinet agreed on Wednesday to delegate authority to officers to undertake a public consultation about the proposals and procure development work for the scheme.

It will be funded by using £1m of the existing transport planning budget for business case funding, £1.5m medium term financial strategy revenue, £1.5m of levelling up funding and £2m which will be carried forward from last year transport planning base budget underspend.