‘Fantastic news’ – Telford’s thumbs-up for M6 link road update
The leader of Telford & Wrekin Council says Telford’s long-awaited M6 northbound link road will put the town “firmly on the map” when it opens in 2031.
Earlier this week, the government published the third wave of its roads investments strategy, outlining a £27bn programme of infrastructure schemes set to be prioritised by government over the next five years.
Included in the plans is a long awaited link road connecting the M54 to the M6 north at Junction 11, easing a notorious bottleneck in the West Midlands motorway network by avoiding the village of Featherstone.
- READ MORE: M54/M6 link road ‘will open before 2031’
The £200m road has been on the drawing board for the past decade, having been variously approved and paused by successive governments since its inception in 2017, but will now be open to traffic by 2031 at the latest, according to transport secretary Heidi Alexander.
“This is fantastic news for Telford and shows that the government is prioritising this stretch of road which is of vital importance to the prosperity and connectivity of our Borough, putting us firmly on the map,” said Cllr Lee Carter, Telford & Wrekin Council leader.
“Telford is one of the fastest-growing towns in the Midlands, home to major employers and thousands of daily commuters and the link road will strengthen our links to Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, the wider West Midlands and beyond.
“The new link will cut journey times and unlock access to jobs – not just in Telford, but across the wider region – and ensure Telford remains a key player in the Midlands economy.
“We can’t wait to see work start on this flagship project and its completion by 2031.”
The project was given the go-ahead from the Government in 2025, and survey work on a finalised preferred route for the link road has been ongoing since the start of this year.
