Sunday 7 February 2021

New road build in Worcestershire - A4440 Worcester Southern Link Road. Carrington Bridge

I've no idea when these road improvements started, but I've found minutes of meetings from 2014 discussing planning permission and compulsory land purchase orders to be made.

My normal route from Birmingham airport for the past 10 years has been down the M5 to the M50 and off to South Wales. In 2019 I started repeating a familiar journey to our home in Malvern. A journey that takes 15 mins and covers 8 miles from the M5. The Worcester Southern Link Road from the M5 J7 to Powick is just over 3 miles, but in reality can take over an hour each way on single carriage way, hence the improvements.

The A4440 Worcester Southern Link Road, is one of Worcestershire's busiest roads, accessed by over 30,000 cars each week day.

I can't find a date when the project will be completed or the total cost spent, estimated around £33 million. There are footbridges, cycle paths, work to the railways, flood plains, roundabouts increased in size and almost all of the route is now dual carriageway.

The photo of Carrington Bridge is taken from the Ketch roundabout. Back in October, 6 steel girders 70ms long and weighing 70 tonnes were lifted into place by a crane 180ms tall. I watched them doing it as I drove past, but couldn't find anywhere to stop to walk back and take photos. 

This is still two way traffic until the new bridge and viaduct is finished at an additional estimated cost of £54.5 million. I have no idea of the completion date.


Carrington Bridge is only one of two bridges that crosses the River Severn in Worcestershire, the next nearest crossing is Upton upon Severn to the South and Stourport on Severn to the North.




12 comments:

  1. Move on from Dubai's many construction projects?? I appreciate this isn't completed yet but to have council meetings discussing the project to this level of development in 2021, I mean that's fast by British standards! The only thing in my mind is whether, in a post-COVID world, such road projects will be necessary? If people fly less and travel to the airport less and work from home more, will a dual carriageway be needed? Or maybe all the increased courier vans will make it worthwhile!!

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    1. Since they've started the road improvements I've only used it during covid, but I recall it was a nightmare and could add over an hour to your journey twice a day

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  2. That sounds like a huge project. I'm thinking it will probably take 10 times as long to complete as it would in Dubai.

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  3. Road work like that is always worth it in the end but annoying during it - feels like they finally finished the highway work near me after too many years of it!

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    1. not too much disruption with no schools and fewer cars on the roads

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  4. Haha, in Dubai they'd have this finished in months, or so it seems

    Thank you for linking up to #MySundayPhoto

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    1. they can build a 14 lane highway and dig a canal in 18 months

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  5. What a big project. I can't help but think that it would have been finished by now in Dubai. lol

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  6. another big project to watch as it grows #MySundayPhoto

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    1. hopefully I'll be able to access the same spot to take photos from

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