FASTER car journeys to Malvern have been made a step closer to reality after council chiefs invited bids from contractors to deliver the next multi-million pound phase of the A440 Southern Link Road.
Worcestershire County Council hope to have a contactor in place early next year for the £70m development which will enable the dualling of the A4440 road between the Ketch and Powick Hams junctions, including Carrington Bridge.
This builds on the work currently taking place to dual from Whittington roundabout to Ketch roundabout and means the entire A4440 route will be dualled from Powick Hams to Whittington.
The dualling of Carrington Bridge is seen by council chiefs as a major step towards a healthy future for Worcestershire with it being able to provide better access access to the city’s growth sites west of Worcester and the Malvern Hills Science Park, which is home to the National Cyber Skills Centre, as well as supporting employment and housing growth in nearby areas.
The scheme is expected to improve employment opportunities across the county, by increasing the size of the accessible work force and increasing the number of accessible jobs.
The Southern Link Road is used by around 30,000 vehicles each weekday and suffers from severe congestion at peak times. The council says doing nothing would result in a 30 per cent increase in journey times by 2026.
Coun Ken Pollock, responsible for Economy, Skills & Infrastructure at Worcestershire County Council, said: “This scheme is one of the largest infrastructure improvements in the county for decades.
“Phase 4 will complete the dualling of the Southern Link Road from Powick Hams to Whittington. This will bring numerous benefits to motorists, residents and businesses.
“Most significantly this includes reducing travel times and improving access to areas to the west of Worcester, which in turn will stimulate the growth of Worcestershire’s economy.”
Interested suppliers for Phase 4 of the Southern Link Road scheme can find out more about the tender and apply online via the Council’s In-Tend system at https://www.in-tendhost.co.uk/worcestershire/aspx/Registration.
