World Construction Network

Daily Newsletter

07 August 2023

Daily Newsletter

A38 motorway in Worcestershire to undergo major overhaul

The upgrades will prevent bottlenecks at key junctions and therefore cut down journey times.

Worcestershire County Council has announced upgrades to the A38 motorway at Bromsgrove to improve journey times and connection between the cities of Birmingham, Bristol, and Gloucester in the UK.

The total estimated cost of the project is £49.8m ($63.61m). The country's Department of Transport (DfT) has agreed to contribute £43m, with the remaining £6.8m to be provided by Worcestershire County Council.

This project will include major upgrades on a 6.4km stretch of the A38, between M42 Junction 1 to the north, and the junction of A38 with B4094 Worcester Road in the south.

It will focus on improvements at key junctions to prevent bottlenecks and cut down journey times.

Member of Parliament for Roads and Transport Richard Holden said: “Thanks to our £43m investment, these crucial upgrades will help reduce severe traffic congestion and poor connectivity for residents in Bromsgrove and Worcestershire, while making it easier to cycle and walk in Worcestershire.

“With work set to begin in the coming weeks, these improvements will bolster the local economy through new jobs and homes, while making journeys quicker and smoother for people to get around the area.”

As per the DfT, construction on the project is expected to commence in the coming weeks.

Associated works are expected to create more than 1,100 new jobs and provide over £93m in economic benefits to Worcestershire and the West Midlands county.

Improvements at these junctions will also help reduce journey times for local buses. A real-time passenger information system will be installed at bus stops along the route to provide live updates and help them plan their journey better.

ESG 2.0 marks a shift towards stricter environmental rules

ESG is moving into a different era, which we call ESG 2.0. While ESG 1.0 was driven by voluntary corporate action, spurred by pressure from activist consumers and investors, ESG 2.0 is being driven by a new wave of government policies. The EU has taken the regulatory lead, with rules introduced or in the pipeline that will price emissions, regulate the use of the terms ‘ESG’ and ‘sustainability’ in marketing materials, and make ESG reporting mandatory. The US has taken a different approach, favoring less regulation and more financial support in the form of tax breaks for clean industry (renewables plus nuclear and hydrogen). China is planning to expand its emissions trading system to more sectors, decarbonize its heavy industry, and ramp up its use of renewables. The new policy direction is mainly motivated by the ambition to hit net zero emissions targets. But on top of this, governments are now competing for clean industry and trying to challenge China’s leadership on the production of the world’s green technologies such as solar panels and batteries, as well as the production and refinement of materials needed for energy transition such as lithium. These driving forces are leading to policy that will impact every sector, not just heavy industry, and will keep ESG near the top of the regulatory agenda over the longer term.