Grant Shapps has given Highways England the go-ahead for a £61m road scheme in the West Midlands.
The transport secretary has given consent for work to start on the scheme at Binley, near Coventry following the submission of detailed plans.
The scheme is part of Highways England’s A46 Coventry Junctions upgrade and includes building a flyover to separate local and commuter traffic at the locally-known TGI island,
Highways England said it will help promote economic growth by unlocking one of the region’s biggest bottlenecks and provide improved journey times and increased road safety.
The current junction layout
Programme leader Anita Prashar said: ‘The A46 is an important strategic route in the Midlands, connecting Coventry and Warwickshire to the motorway network.
‘Upgrading the junction at Binley will help make everyday journeys easier and more reliable and we welcome the Secretary of State’s go-ahead for the improvement.’
Simon Statham, head of technical programmes at Midlands Connect, said: ‘The A46 is one of the country’s most important trade routes. The junction at Binley Woods has become a major bottleneck, holding back logistics firms that rely on the A46, and major manufacturers located along the corridor.
‘This chronic congestion holds back productivity, costing people time and businesses money. Midlands Connect has long advocated for this upgrade as part of a bigger package of improvements along the corridor. We have spoken to hundreds of businesses, large and small, who have told us how congestion is one of the biggest barriers to growth.’
Main construction work is scheduled to start at Binley later this year, with the junction expected to open in 2022.
Highways England said work to develop plans for Walsgrave junction, the second phase of the A46 Coventry Junctions scheme, is continuing.
A fly-through film has been produced to show how the upgraded junction may look:
