More investment needed on key road in the Rugby borough, says MP

More investment is needed on a key road in the Rugby borough.

That is the message from Rugby MP Mark Pawsey, who secured a debate in Parliament’s Westminster Hall and urged the Government to commit to upgrades to the A5 - which carries 23,000 vehicles a day at present on its busiest section.

Drawing on the work of Midlands Connect and the A5 Transport Partnership, he spoke about the need to bring forward investment in the 53-mile section of the road running from Junction 18 of the M1 to Junction 12 of the M6 in Staffordshire, to make the full stretch of this road dual carriageway.

His concerns are shared by MPs from across the region, including neighbouring MPs Marcus Jones (Nuneaton) and Craig Tracy (North Warwickshire), alongside Dr Luke Evans MP (Bosworth) and Alberto Costa (South Leicestershire).

In his speech, Mr Pawsey argued for additional investment to be made in the Midlands stretch of the A5, part of which forms the boundary of the Rugby constituency and marks the border between Warwickshire, Northamptonshire and Leicestershire - forming part of the 'golden triangle' for logistics in the centre of England.

Speaking after the debate, Mark said: “The A5 is a vital road for our local economy here in Rugby and is a major route for logistics.

"It also functions as an alternative route when the M6 is closed, either due to planned works or unplanned incidents.

"This combination of regional growth and added pressure has left parts of the A5 significantly congested as it lacks resilience, hence the need for additional investment to deliver the Government’s levelling up agenda.”

He added: “This challenge is exacerbated by the variability of the road. In some places it is a traditional, windy A road and in others is recently developed dual carriageway.

"What needs to happen is major investment to dual the whole section of the road, which will enable traffic to flow much more smoothly, helping unlock the economic potential of our area.

"It will also make the road safer, as it is well known that as congestion on our roads increases so too does the potential for collisions.”

Reflecting on the debate, he said: “I was pleased that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport recognised the importance of the A5 to the Midlands and the need to improve connectivity in the region through the road investment strategy.

"I hope that the forthcoming third phase of this funding will deliver the upgrades which the A5 needs and make our roads safer and more efficient.”