M54 motorway (Great Britain)
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| Route information | |
| Maintained by Highways England | |
| Length | 23.0 mi (37.0 km) |
| Existed | 1975 – present |
| History | Constructed 1975–1983 |
| Major junctions | |
| East end | Essington |
  J10a → M6 motorway |
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| West end | Wellington |
| Location | |
| Counties | Staffordshire, Shropshire |
| Primary destinations |
Wolverhampton, Telford |
| Road network | |
The M54 is a 23-mile (37 km) east-west dual carriageway in the English counties of Shropshire and Staffordshire. It is also referred to as the Telford dual carriageway, after the road's primary westbound destination, the new town of Telford. The dual carriageway cost £65 million to construct, and is two-lane dual carriageway for the majority of its length, with sections of three-lane.
The M54 spur connects the M6 motorway near Essington, Staffordshire with the A5 trunk road at Wellington, Shropshire. The motorway forms part of the strategic route to North Wales, roughly following the path of the Roman Watling Street and the A5 north-westwards, towards the port of Holyhead. It is the only motorway in Shropshire, and forms a vital part of the county's road network. The motorway handles an AADT of between 50,300 (J2-3) and 41,800 (J4-5) vehicles.
The idea of the M54 was originally presented due to the high volumes of traffic on the A5, London to Holyhead road which was largely constructed by civil engineer Thomas Telford in the early 19th century following the route of the Roman Watling Street, which connected Rochester, Kent with Wroxeter, Shropshire. The initial plan for a motorway following the M54's present route was therefore designed to alleviate the roads which handled the commercial traffic to the port of Holyhead, destined for Ireland. With the proposal in the early 1960s for a new town to provide an overspill housing area for the West Midlands conurbation, then named Dawley New Town (designated as Telford in 1967), the M54 was becoming more likely to be built; the government also wanted to increase transport provision to the rest of Shropshire.
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Wikipedia