The 4 new £90m roads being built to end UK traffic chaos

Four new roads are set to be built, ready to end traffic chaos across the UK.

Projects in Wiltshire, Leeds, Essex and Buckinghamshire could cost a combined total of £90 million.

The A350 Chippenham Bypass – which connects the south coast with the M4, Bristol and the Midlands – will be made into a dual carriageway. Work is expected to start in Spring 2025 and will be completed towards the end of 2026. 

This will cost around £32 million, with £27 million coming from funding by the central government. It will see two sections of road dualled and improvements made to the roundabout.

Wiltshire Council has said local residents will benefit from reduced traffic on more local routes, as well as better road safety and better access to jobs in the area.

Work on the A647 Dawsons Corner and Stanningley Bypass in Leeds will see the existing roundabout replaced and the structural renewal of the bypass.

The £35 million upgrades will mean faster journeys between Leeds and Bradford. The bypass was originally built 50 years ago and suffers from defects and safety issues.

It is hoped this will increase the number of bus passengers, speed up traffic for all drivers, and improve safety.

A new 1.1km dual carriageway, the South East Aylesbury Link Road, is set to be built in Aylesbury. More than £13 million will go towards the project, which is part of an ongoing £147 million bypass project.

This scheme is essential in enabling further housing development, which could see up to 1,000 homes added to the local area.

Buckinghamshire Council is hoping the project will reduce congestion, improve walking and cycling routes, enhance local ecology, and bring more investment to the county.

The Fairglen Interchange near Wickford – where the A13, A130 and A127 join together in Essex – will be upgraded. The £60 million scheme is being done to ease traffic and improve safety.

The project includes a new link road that will provide a direct route from the A130 southbound to the A1245, from where traffic can easily access the A127, at the Fairglen Roundabout.

Essex Highways said the new road is “of vital importance” to the sustained economic growth of south Essex. 

It is estimated that over 62,000 jobs will be created in south Essex by 2037, and that over 3,400 new homes per year will be needed to accommodate this new workforce.