PLANS to finally tackle long traffic queues on a busy junction near Upton has been put forward after years of waiting.

Worcestershire County Council has submitted plans for major improvement works at the A38/A4104 staggered crossroad junction as part of its ongoing work to tackle congestion in the county.

Concerns were first raised about the high levels of traffic on the busy junction by West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin in 2015 and several tests were eventually carried out by the council in 2018.

“This has always been a busy junction, particularly when there are one of the many festivals in Upton or during the major events at the Three Counties Showground," Mrs Baldwin said.

“I’ve been lobbying for improvements to this junction for many years and I’m glad to see a solution put forward for consideration by county councillors.

“This is a vital gateway for people travelling into the county and I am pleased that the council is looking at an efficient roundabout configuration to allow the smoother passage of traffic towards Worcester, Malvern and Pershore.”

The county council admitted a need to carry out improvement work on the ‘notoriously’ busy junction and included it as one of several ‘hotspots’ in its major local transport plan in 2017 but then admitted the work could not go ahead until money was found.

Funding for the work was announced by the county council at the start of the year as part of this year’s budget which included a further £5 million to fix several congestion ‘hotspots’ including the congested junction at Bluebell Farm.

The Department for Transport has also awarded the council several million pounds to fund parts of the work.

The current configuration of the road means long queues as traffic tries to join and cross from the Upton and Defford directions at peak times during the day, during the busy summer festival period and when local events are on.

The council said it had looked at various options but wants to install a four-armed roundabout.

Councillor Alan Amos, cabinet member for highways at Worcestershire County Council, said: “Relieving congestion at the county’s busiest hot spots remains one of our priorities as it is one of our residents’ top concerns.

“This major scheme just outside of Upton will make a huge difference to those using the route, especially at peak periods of the day.

“The proposed roundabout will reduce queuing traffic on the A38 and provide improved access to the A4104 from the A38.”