A50/A500 corridor
What is the scheme?
We have identified the A50/ A500 corridor as a vital east-west route within the region, linking Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire to Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire and the North-West.
At several pinch points, the A50/A500 corridor is slow and unreliable, with average rush hour speeds below 20mph.
Improving transport reliability and shortening journey times will open up job opportunities to a wider pool of skilled workers, and give businesses more reliable access to labour, suppliers and international markets, giving them the confidence they need to invest in their futures.
For the first time, we're developing a long-term programme of potential interventions along the corridor to improve reliability and shorten journey times on the route, supporting 30,000 new homes and 17,000 new jobs by 2030.
Investing in the route will also improve air quality made worse by chronic congestion, especially around Stoke-on-Trent.
The road to success
In February 2022, we published our report 'The road to success', a strategic transport plan that will level up Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, Derby and Derbyshire.
The suggested developments on the A50/A500 are also likely to generate:
- 17,760 new jobs in the corridor area by 2061
- 12,474 new skilled jobs in the Midlands Connect area
- 21,538 population increase in the corridor area by 2061
- 12,451 population increase in the Midlands Connect area
- £12.04bn increase in GVA over next 60 years in Midlands Connect area
What happens next?
We're working on a plan to unleash the corridor's potential.
Now that we've laid out the economic, environmental and social case for improving the A50/A500 corridor, more detailed work is required to establish a preferred package and sequence of interventions.
Alongside this long-term, corridor approach, we will continue to make the case for the earliest possible completion of existing proposals around Uttoxeter and the M6 Junction 15, which is included within National Highways pipeline of possible future schemes.
We are also exploring the impact of the East Midlands Freeport, which straddles three sites across the A50/A500 corridor in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, and HS2 proposals for the East Midlands.
As always, we will work with partners, including councils, LEPs and Highways England to ensure all of our plans feed in to a holistic approach to improving life along the corridor, including the environment, housing and jobs.
Businesses supporting improvements
“Like many of the other big employers along the A50 corridor, to keep investing and growing, we need the A50 to be resilient, accessible and reliable 365 days a year.”
Mark Turner, Chief Operating Officer JCB