CONGESTION at a notorious bottleneck between Rugby and Lutterworth is set to increase over the next ten years.
New data from Midlands Connect shows that there could be an extra 6,800 vehicles a day, or 47,600 a week, using the A5 Gibbet Hill roundabout by 2035.
The organisation says it is ‘compelling evidence’ that government funding is needed to upgrade the A5/A426 junction, which is already said to be at ‘critical mass’.
The new data predicts an increase in queues and delays at the roundabout – which is at the heart of the UK’s ‘Golden Logistics Triangle’ – with knock-on effects on traffic to and from the M1 and M6.
Swati Mittal, Midlands Connect’s Roads Programme Lead, said: “The A5 at Gibbet Hill and specifically around Rugby is one of Midlands Connect’s priority road schemes, and this new data is more compelling evidence for the upgrades needed to make the junction fit for the future.
“The junction, if upgraded, could be a real engine of economic growth for the A5 and the whole country.”
Rugby Borough Councillor Tony Gillias, Chairman of the A5 Partnership, said businesses were continually pointing out the inefficiency of the A5 corridor and how investment could benefit them.
He said: “Local Authorities such as Rugby have identified that the pace of growth is restricted because of the of the lack of investment in the A5 corridor, which should be moving traffic in far greater volumes to the motorway networks from within the ‘Golden Triangle’ location.
“The A5 Partnership membership have understood for some time, that investment is absolutely paramount into the A5. All that is needed is government realisation of the future benefits to the national economy that this would bring.”’
Bill Cullen, Chair of the A5 Executive Officer Group for the A5 Partnership, said Gibbet Hill was a key priority scheme for investment.
He said: “The A5 growth corridor forms the backbone of economic growth in the Midlands and urgently needs investment in schemes like this to ensure our roads and infrastructure keep pace with the significant inward investment taking place along the corridor.”
