In addition to the allocated budget, we also secured £6.6 million of funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) via the National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF). This funding is ring-fenced for investment in areas that are key to boosting productivity including local roads with the aim of:

1. Easing congestion and provide upgrades on important national, regional or local routes
2. Unlocking economic and job creation opportunities
3. Enabling the delivery of new housing developments

We won two separate bids - £3.4m of which has been used to fund the walking and cycling improvements in Bromsgrove and £3.2 for improvements along the A44 through Worcester’s city centre.

Across Bromsgrove district, we have enhanced several key walking and cycling corridors into the town. As well as these, we have improved the Hanover Street crossing facility to the south and Market Street crossing to the west of the town, we have also upgraded the crossing on the A448 Kidderminster Road, that helps link the Sanders Park cycling links to the town centre.

In Worcester, we have successfully introduced new crossing schemes at Croft Road and Pheasant Street. We have also enhanced the Sidbury and St John’s areas of the city, with partial funding being achieved through this NPIF funding bid.

A further £10m budget was allocated to four key junctions across the county. Hoobrook roundabout in Kidderminster has been signalised and received a positive reaction from the public. We have upgraded the signalised junction of Port Street in Evesham, as well as incorporating a push button-controlled crossing facility. We are nearing the completion of the A38 Upton roundabout construction, scheduled for this Autumn 2022. We have also commenced works to upgrade the junction of Parkside in Bromsgrove, scheduled for completion in late Summer 2022.

We will continue to assess future sites of congestion concern and work to improve the county moving forward.

Read about the improvements being made to A38/A4104 junction

Latest updates on tackling congestion using the £5m pledged by Cabinet in addition to £6.6 million won as part of a bid to Department for Transport.

30 June 2022 Parkside Junction improvements starting next week 

Works will begin shortly on upgrading the current traffic signals at the junction of Market Street and The Strand, known locally as Parkside, in Bromsgrove.

The works, being carried out by Worcestershire County Council, will start on Monday, July 4 and are expected to be completed in early-September 2022. The new traffic signals will measure and react to the traffic levels at the junction using sensors in the road. This will provide a more efficient use of the junction, reducing delays for traffic using the strategic network.

The works will comprise of initial lane closures, followed by temporary traffic signals to manage the junction. Where possible, most of the works are planned to take place between 9.30am and 3.30pm to avoid peak traffic time.

29 June 2022 New image shows traffic using roundabout near Upton-upon-Severn for the first time

A new image gives a great view over the new roundabout being constructed at the A38/A4104 junction near Upton-upon-Severn, showing traffic using the roundabout for the first time.

Traffic is now able to travel on the approaches and around part the roundabout, with temporary traffic management in place to allow the remaining works to be undertaken safely. 

The major scheme is being carried out by Worcestershire County Council to replace the previous staggered junction with a new 4-arm roundabout to help reduce congestion in the area.

17 March 2022 Major improvements to relieve congestion near Upton-upon-Severn taking shape

The new road layout, as part of major improvement works to relieve congestion at a busy rural junction near Upton-upon-Severn, is beginning to take shape.

The works have, so far, focused on transferring thousands of tonnes of material on to the site, to create the base for the new roundabout and road alignment, as well as the installation of new drainage and kerbing.

The works are being carried out by Worcestershire County Council to construct a new 4-arm roundabout to replace the current A38/A4104 staggered crossroad junction.

The majority of the works, so far, have taken place off the main public roads, but to allow the scheme to progress, various traffic management phases will be required on both the A38 and A4104 in the coming months.

21 December 2021 Iron Age settlement unearthed on site of Upton A38 roundabout works

An Iron Age settlement dating from around 2,250 years ago, was recently discovered on the site of a new roundabout being built near Upton-upon-Severn.

The discovery was made during the planning phase of the improvements being made by Worcestershire County Council to tackle congestion at the A38/A4104 staggered crossroad junction.

The site was first spotted on aerial photos and an initial investigation to find out more was carried out in late 2020. This revealed pottery which indicated that the site was a Middle Iron Age settlement, with an unusually large ditched enclosure at its heart.

25 November 2021 Improvement works to tackle congestion at Kidderminster’s Hoobrook Roundabout are now operating

The junction now includes additional lanes and signalisation on the three main arms of the roundabout to help improve the flow of traffic up to and around the roundabout.

Additional works have also taken place to reconfigure the circulation of vehicles around the roundabout as well as the splitter islands at each junction.

As part of the project, some footways in the area have been widened and an upgraded crossing has been installed on Chester Road South.

20 July 2021 Works to start on major improvements to relieve congestion near Upton-upon-Severn

Major improvement works to relieve congestion at a busy rural junction near Upton-upon-Severn are set to get underway next week.

The works being carried out by Worcestershire County Council as part of the ongoing Relieving Congestion Programme aim to tackle the congestion hotspot at the A38/A4104 staggered crossroad junction.

Works will commence on Monday 26 July to construct a new 4-arm roundabout to replace the current staggered junction arrangement, with the western A4104 approach from Upton-upon-Severn being realigned to tie into the roundabout.

Facilities for pedestrians and cyclists will be improved with the provision of crossing locations on all arms of the roundabout and three metre wide shared footway/cycleways.

9 February 2021 Major improvements to relieve congestion near Upton given the green light

The planning application submitted for major improvement works to relieve congestion at a busy rural junction near Upton has been given the green light to go ahead.

As part of Worcestershire County Council’s ongoing Relieving Congestion Programme, the congestion hotspot at the A38/A4104 staggered crossroad junction will see a big improvement now planning has been approved at the County’s Planning and Regulatory Committee. 

The existing junction is made up of a staggered single-lane arrangement. The A38 in this location is a single carriageway road, which runs to the M50 Motorway and Tewkesbury in the south and Worcester in the north.

The A4104 is also a single carriageway road, which runs to Pershore to the north-east and to Upton-Upon-Severn and Little Malvern to the west. 

The route is important for users travelling from the M5 Motorway and provides access to destinations such as the ‘Three Counties Showground’ and the Malvern Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), as well as a number of events that are usually held within Upon-upon-Severn and the surrounding area throughout the year. 

With the current junction arrangement, particularly during peak time traffic, queueing is generated on both the A38 and A4104. The County Council identified that the junction requires improvements to alleviate this problem and to provide more efficient traffic flows as well as providing a better junction for users.