M54/M6 link: Road upgrade could get 19,000 cars a day off other local roads

Analysis from Midlands Connect shows delivering a new connection between the M54 and the M6 northbound would get cars off local roads.

The A460 carries approximately 23,000 vehicles each day; 28% of which are freight vehicles. If the proposed link road is opened, which Midlands Connect supports, this could reduce to approximately 4,000 vehicles each day on the A460.

The data also shows significant delays in both directions at peak times, particularly for traffic travelling northbound. Delays as a result of congestion are a regular occurrence on the A460 through Featherstone and Shareshill. The greatest delays are northbound on the A460 between the Laney Green Interchange and the A460/M6 Toll/A4601 junction.

Average speeds are 39 mph slower than the Strategic Road Network (SRN) average for journeys between the M54 and M6 during the morning peak eastbound and 37mph slower during the PM peak westbound. In total, this results in journey times being over 3 minutes slower than the SRN average when travelling eastbound and 4 minutes slower for journeys travelling westbound during peak times. 

Late last year, businesses throughout the region joined the call for upgrades saying they had to leave an hour earlier due to the backlogs. They also agreed the environmental impact of taking trucks off urban A roads and onto the motorway is the biggest win of the upgrade.

Plans for the link road were approved by the government in 2022 and would involve the construction of a new road, linking Junction 1 of the M54 to Junction 11 of the M6. Currently, to connect between these motorways, long-haul vehicles must travel along the A460 through the villages of Featherstone and Shareshill, facing delays while also impacting the lives of local people.

The Department for Transport’s spending portfolio is currently under review, and local firms are urging the government to make these upgrades a priority. They believe the implementation of these plans would greatly improve business operations along the M54.

Sir Gavin Williamson, MP for Stone, Great Wyrley and Penkridge said:

"I have repeatedly urged Government to speed up plans for a M54/M6 link road, which is desperately needed to ease congestion on the A460. Residents in Featherstone and Shareshill continue to be shortchanged and access is becoming increasingly difficult on local roads.

"I welcome Midland’s Connect’s evidence-based analysis which demonstrates that 23,000 vehicles, 28% of which are freight, use the A460 each day. This means residents have longer journey times to work, impacting productivity and creating further damage to the environment.

"The Government must stop dithering and listen to local people, the County Council, and all other stakeholders who clearly demonstrate the urgent need for this link road. I will continue to put as much pressure on Ministers as possible.

Swati Mittal, Integrated Transport Lead at Midlands Connect said:

“Our new data shows by delivering the M54/M6 link we can get over a million cars and lorries off other roads in Staffordshire.

“This can only be good for air quality and residents if we can move those cars, snarled up in traffic away from homes and housing estates onto a new, improved linked road that is free flowing.”

Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for strategic highways Mark Deaville said:

“The M54/M6 link will not only boost connectivity and economic growth in Staffordshire, it will also remove through traffic including HGVs from the road network in the south of the county.

“This blights local communities, through both increased congestion and reduced air quality.

“We are a strategically well located and connected county and the link route would help to attract additional investment in the future, whilst supporting residents in Featherstone, Shareshill and surrounding areas.”