THE Evesham bypass is among the road projects that could be “transformational” for the midlands.

Transport body Midlands Connect has published a list of 17 schemes across the region.

It says improving the A46 Evesham bypass, which sits to the east of the town, would reduce the number of crashes, which cause traffic to be diverted onto town centre roads.

A46: A report has set out the benefits of improving the bypassA46: A report has set out the benefits of improving the bypass (Image: Midlands Connect)

Midlands Connect's report says improvements would also “reduce congestion and improve journey time reliability”, as well as giving “better connectivity to expanding employment sites such as Vale Industrial Park”.

It says that at the moment, “despite being a useful access route for local journeys, the A46 also causes community separation as it divides residential and employment areas”.

The report identifies delays at roundabouts as a problem and says: “Investment needs to focus on ensuring a consistency of road standard across the entire corridor, allowing the wider A46 corridor to provide a viable alternative to other parts of the Strategic Road Network (A42/M42/M6).”

Midlands Connect says National Highways is developing the case for enhancements to the A46 around Evesham “and have completed an assessment to fully understand the scale and nature of the problems in the area”.

The two agencies will work together to develop the plans and gain investment support, once a ‘Project Control Framework study’ has been completed.

Mike Bull, programme director at Midlands Connect, said: “We never recommend a project for funding unless we believe the benefits outweigh the costs.

“The 17 road projects mentioned in the report have the ability to cut congestion, help create new jobs and homes, as well as improve safety across the region.

“They are real ‘no brainers’ for stimulating economic growth during this challenging time.

“We will continue to support National Highways and the relevant Local Authorities in making the case for these much-needed schemes to Government.”

Other road projects featured in the report include A46 junctions in Coventry, the M54 to M6 link road, the A46 between Stratford and Warwick, and junction 15 of the M6.