MULTI-million-pound plans to dual the Southern Link Road near Worcester could provide a major boost for the Malvern and Ledbury areas.

Worcester County Council is this week applying to the Department of Transport for £70 million to pay for dualling the A4440 all the way from Whittington to Powick, including the Carrington Bridge over the Severn, a notorious bottleneck.

If successful a dualled Carrington Bridge promises to significantly ease congestion in Worcester and Malvern and for commuters needing to reach the M5.

It would also be the route's biggest advancement in infrastructure since the bridge was built in 1984. It is now used by 30,000 vehicles daily and is notorious for tailbacks.

Improving the Southern Link Road is one of the highest priorities in tackling congestion, which is seen as a significant barrier to economic growth.

Benefits will include reducing journey times between Worcester and Malvern and providing better access to sites in Malvern such as the science park, the National Cyber Skills Centre and QinetiQ.

The road also provides access to the wider Malvern Hills district, including Upton, and to Ledbury and other parts of Herefordshire.

Council leader Simon Geraghty said: "Our determination to secure investment for improvements to Carrington Bridge and the dualling of the Southern Link Road in Worcester, represent the next phase of our plans to improve the county's infrastructure to enable the local economy to continue to thrive."

Gary Woodman, chief executive of Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: “The importance of this bid cannot be underestimated as it is crucial to support our businesses. We recognise that the economic benefit of our £16.4m investment in the Southern Link Road through the government’s Growth Deal will only be fully realised with the dualling of Carrington Bridge.

“Furthermore, this scheme is fully supported by partners and businesses, as well as neighbouring areas with Herefordshire Council and Marches LEP endorsing the bid, and so the fact that the county council is submitting this proposal is good news for the whole region.”