Catthorpe work brought forward after funding boost

By Dan Santy 14/12 Updated: 14/12 15:47

Buy photos » A public inquiry will now be held to probe plans to overhaul the notorious Catthorpe interchange.

LONG-AWAITED improvement works to the notorious Catthorpe interchange will start several years

earlier than expected.

The accident blackspot, where the M1 meets the M6 near Rugby, has been the scene of many horror smashes in recent years - with the number of deaths there since 2004 reaching double figures.

For over a decade talks have been held about improving the junction, and last year plans to redesign it and improve its poor safety record were revealed.

But in April it was announced the project had been shelved until 2015 at the earliest because of a shortage of cash to meet the £310 million price tag.

This week however, a turnaround has seen £150 million of funding made available for the project as part of a wider programme by the Highways Agency to spend £1 billion improving Britain's roads over the next three years.

Since the plans were put on hold, Rugby's MP Mark Pawsey has been campaigning for the work to be brought forward before more accidents happen and more lives are lost.

Reacting to the decision to bring the start of the work forward, Mr Pawsey said he was delighted.

"Construction work at Catthorpe should get underway within the next three years, stimulating growth and helping to free-up Rugby’s important transport links.

"We must not of course forget the spate of devastating accidents that have happened at this very dangerous junction, and I hope it is of some comfort to those affected that work will soon be underway.

"Whilst improvements are not scheduled to start tomorrow, I am delighted ministers have acknowledged the importance of investing in this congested and dangerous junction."

Accidents at the interchange usually happen as a result of queues of traffic which form on the motorway during rush hour when the number of cars trying to leave the M6 or M1 south becomes too high.

The improvement works are designed to make links between the M6 and A14, and the M1 and A14, more free flowing by cutting access from the M6 south to M1 north, and visa versa.

Roads minister Mike Penning, who visited the site last Tuesday (December 13), said the decision had been made after chancellor George Osborne identified an efficient transport network as a key driver of economic growth in his recent Autumn Statement.

Work on the road will not start before a public inquiry into the project has been carried out sometime over the next year.