Etruria Valley link road opens - but expect some delays

North Staffordshire is set to benefit from a major new road which opens to drivers today (Monday 23rd January).

The aim of the new 1.2km Etruria Valley Link Road is to help alleviate traffic and congestion on the A500, A53 Etruria Road and surrounding areas as well as improving access to the Etruria Valley Enterprise Zone.

It features a new 10 space viaduct over the West Coast Mainline and Fowlea Brook, a new bridge over the Trent and Mersey Canal and a brand new roundabout complete with a unique Spitfire statue.

Work started on constructing the £43 million project in October 2020. It has been delivered by Balfour Beatty on behalf of Stoke-on-Trent Council.

A two-year timeline to completion

During the construction phase: 13,125 tons of concrete was laid; 807 tonnes of steelwork was installed; 262,000 man hours have been worked; 857 people have been inducted to work on the scheme; and 20 permanent jobs have been created.

Some roadworks planned until March

From today Monday 23 January, work to support the multi-million pound scheme will begin at the junction of Grange Lane (A527) and Church Lane (B5368) in Wolstanton.

The work will see the existing junction upgraded to help improve traffic flow and minimise congestion.

The work will see the existing signalised junction converted into a mini roundabout complete with signal-controlled pedestrian crossings.

The majority of the work will be carried out during daytime hours but there will be a small period - towards the end of the project – where night-time closures will be required to enable the carriageway to be resurfaced.

Councillor Daniel Jellyman, cabinet member for regeneration, infrastructure, and heritage said:

“There's going to be a bit of disruption in Wolstanton. The final bit of the scheme is a roundabout at the top of the bank past Wolstanton Retail Park, that's expected to be completed by the end of March.

"There's a few more works happening in Festival Park, those works will be completed by the end of March. So, there is going to be a bit of congestion around it.

"Once it's all completed, you're going to see a huge difference in journey times.

“This final piece of work will see an upgrade to the junction which will improve traffic flow whilst also ensuring pedestrian safety, especially being so close to St Wulstan’s Catholic Church and Primary School.

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.