A deal has finally been agreed with the government to connect an unusable motorway junction to the road network nearly two years after it was built.
Most of the work on the £50m M49 junction, near Bristol, was completed by National Highways (formerly Highways England) at the end of 2019 – but motorists have been unable to use it because of a dispute over who should build the link road.
South Gloucestershire’s Conservative cabinet reached a deal to build the road with the Department for Transport and National Highways at a meeting on Wednesday, October 11. No other details have been released.
According to the local authority’s website, the report is confidential because it contains “information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)”.
Once built, the road will connect the junction to a business park used by major companies including Tesco and Amazon.
A spokesperson for South Gloucestershire Council said: “This decision is an important step forwards and will allow us to progress work with our partners in delivering the M49 link to unlock the significant benefits that it will bring to South Gloucestershire, local communities and the wider region.”
In January, South Gloucestershire council said it was the responsibility of the business park’s owner , Delta Properties, to build the link road, but the developer refuted the claim , saying it owed “no legal obligation” to any public body to construct the road infrastructure associated with the new junction.
The local authority then said in September the responsibility lay jointly with National Highways and Delta.
According to parish councillor Peter Tyzack the situation has been “causing havoc” for people living in the villages nearby.
“All the traffic that would be going on the motorway is coming through the villages, which is a nightmare for us,” he said.
Mr Tyzack said he did not expect the link road to be finished and ready for use until late 2022 because of the “legal hoops” involved and the extra time it takes to prepare a flood plain before it can be built on.
“From the day they dig the first turf, it’ll be 12 months before the road can be opened,” he said. “We’ll be lucky if we get it open for next Christmas.”
Last month, Delta Properties told Business Live that “excellent progress” was being made towards building the road – but blamed an occupier at the business park for delaying progress.
West of England metro mayor Dan Norris called the situation a “fiasco” and said it was “not a reflection” of the region.
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