M54/M6 Link Could Get “19,000 Cars A Day Off Other Local Roads”

Analysis from Midlands Connect shows delivering a new connection between the M54 and the M6 northbound would get cars off local roads.

The A460 carries approximately 23,000 vehicles each day; 28% of which are freight vehicles. If the proposed link road is opened, which Midlands Connect supports, this could reduce to approximately 4,000 vehicles each day on the A460.

The data also shows significant delays in both directions at peak times, particularly for traffic travelling northbound. Delays as a result of congestion are a regular occurrence on the A460 through Featherstone and Shareshill. The greatest delays are northbound on the A460 between the Laney Green Interchange and the A460/M6 Toll/A4601 junction.

Average speeds are 39 mph slower than the Strategic Road Network (SRN) average for journeys between the M54 and M6 during the morning peak eastbound and 37mph slower during the PM peak westbound. In total, this results in journey times being over 3 minutes slower than the SRN average when travelling eastbound and 4 minutes slower for journeys travelling westbound during peak times. 

Late last year, businesses throughout the region joined the call for upgrades saying they had to leave an hour earlier due to the backlogs. They also agreed the environmental impact of taking trucks off urban A roads and onto the motorway is the biggest win of the upgrade.

Plans for the link road were approved by the government in 2022 and would involve the construction of a new road, linking Junction 1 of the M54 to Junction 11 of the M6. Currently, to connect between these motorways, long-haul vehicles must travel along the A460 through the villages of Featherstone and Shareshill, facing delays while also impacting the lives of local people.

Pic: Midlands Connect