Road improvements to aid business expansion ahead of schedule

A major road improvement scheme to support increased economic growth will be completed months ahead of schedule.

Staffordshire County Council successfully bid to the Government’s pinch-point fund – which aims to remove bottle necks restricting economic growth – for the scheme in East Staffordshire and the Moorlands. It will result in junction improvements on the A50 to Alton corridor, easing traffic flow around Rocester near the JCB world headquarters and north around Denstone towards Alton Towers.

The improvements on the B5030 at the Station Road and High Street junctions have now been completed. New roundabouts have been installed on the junctions to improve traffic flow and have finished on schedule after starting in November.

Now work has begun on the next phase which will see a new roundabout installed at Denstone at the junction of the B5031 and B5032. This work is beginning six months ahead of schedule following discussions with local businesses. As the project is taking place during summer months, there is less chance of delays due to weather and longer working hours means it will be more cost effective.  The new roundabout will replace a t-junction which can lead to obstructions with larger vehicle movements. It will be built on land off the road, causing minimal disruption to traffic.

Mark Turner, JCB Group Managing Director of Business Operations said: “The completion of the B5030 roundabouts really helps our Rocester operations. The flow of traffic into and out of JCB’s World Headquarters is much improved which is a benefit to JCB obviously. It also benefits local residents as well because getting into and out of Rocester and Station Road is much more straightforward now.”

Transport Minister Patrick McLoughlin announced the plans as part of a £190million package of national improvements last year. He said: “Keeping traffic moving is vital to securing prosperity. By removing local bottlenecks and improving access to local development sites and communities, these schemes will help get people to and from work and power the economy. They also have the potential to help deliver new jobs and homes.”