Ministers have been urged to consider a range of investment priorities to tackle the causes of congestion on the A5 that impacts local drivers, businesses, and our communities.
Hinckley & Bosworth Borough Council – along with other local authorities based along the length of the A5 ‘corridor’ – will present the investment priorities to Ministers and senior officials in a document called ‘The A5 – Economic Backbone of the Midlands’.
The latest proposals spell out a number of ways a multi-million-pound strategic investment by the Government in to the A5 between Hinckley in Leicestershire and Tamworth in Staffordshire would tackle congestion, unlock growth in the Midlands and yield significant benefits for the whole of the region.
The A5 Partnership – the collective group of local authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships located along the path of the A5 between Towcester in Northamptonshire and Cannock in Staffordshire – sets out its aspirations to make the A5 a corridor of growth and innovation linking the M6 with the M42, M69 and M1, seeking:
- Full upgrade of the A5 between Tamworth and Hinckley
- A major improvement of the A5/A426 Gibbet Hill junction
- A programme of corridor-wide road safety improvements
- Improvements for freight haulage in the A5 corridor
The Partnership is now pressing the Government to commit investment to these proposals for the many local, regional and national benefits they would bring.
The proposals to increase capacity on the A5 also have the support of key businesses with national distribution centres in the area, including Magna Park, DPD and Aldi, who rely on the A5 for their supply chains and customers. Manufacturing and distribution already make up 42% of the local economy, compared with 29% nationally.
Those businesses are joined by major local employers including Horiba MIRA and the 2.89 million residents living in the area who suffer journey times up to 36% longer in peak periods at a cost of £18,000 in journey time delays every day.
Leader of Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, Stuart Bray said: “Every Hinckley and Burbage resident has seen the way traffic grinds to a halt whenever a lorry strikes the railway bridge, it’s been happening for years and it’s incredibly frustrating for residents and businesses alike.
“These proposals are presented as a range of investment priorities. They represent real game changing solutions that will not only enable businesses to thrive and grow, but also help to curtail the misery created by bridge strikes. I urge Ministers to make the A5 a priority.”
