Two motorway junctions in the Patchway area are to be improved in an effort to reduce congestion, the Government announced today.
The northbound exit slip road at junction 16 of the M5 (A38, Aztec West) will be widened to create an extra lane for traffic turning left towards the A38 north.
Also on the M5, the southbound exit slip road at junction 17 (A4018, Cribbs Causeway) will be widened to provide an additional hard shoulder and a new dedicated left turn lane will be created on Merlin Road
Work on both projects is scheduled to start in 2014 and be completed the same year.
The two schemes, costing a total of £1.4, are part of a £217 million national programme to remove bottlenecks and keep traffic moving on England’s motorways and major A roads.
Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said:
“These £217 million road improvements prove the Government’s determination to accelerate growth and cut congestion.”
“Keeping traffic moving is vital to securing prosperity. By removing bottlenecks and improving access to local enterprise zones, key international trading ports and communities, these road schemes will help get people to and from work and power the economy. They also have the potential to help deliver more than 300,000 new jobs and 150,000 new homes.”
The two North Bristol projects are justified by the need to “support growth in places such as Filton Airfield, Patchway and Cribbs Causeway, with the potential to create 6,350 jobs and 2,990 homes by 2020”.
