£54 million funding approved to improve Shrewsbury traffic

North West Relief Road given £54 million to provide new route taking traffic out of the townDrivers in Shrewsbury will enjoy smoother journeys thanks to a new multi-million pound relief road approved (21 March 2019) by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling.The Department for Transport is providing £54 million for the North West Relief Road – between Battlefield Link Road and Oxon Link Road – which will provide a new, single-carriageway route taking traffic out of the town centre.This will not only significantly reduce congestion, but it will also lead to improved air quality in the town centre.The scheme will also include two new bridges, and accessible crossings allowing cyclists, pedestrians and vulnerable users to travel safely.The North West Relief Road will benefit not just Shrewsbury but the whole of Shropshire and, though there is some way to go before the road is built and in use, securing this funding from the government is a huge step towards making this much-needed road a reality.A shared footpath and cycleway will be built on the southern part of the road, bordered on both sides by open space.This is in addition to a £1.8 billion investment in improving motorway and schemes across the Midlands, as well as providing £176 million in the past year for road maintenance and small transport projects.Work on the scheme is likely to start in 2022.