A partnership to upgrade one of Gloucestershire's major road arteries has been boosted by a new addition.

The A46 Partnership is lobbying the government to improve journeys along the whole of the road for people travelling through Gloucestershire and beyond.

And the group has just welcomed Leicestershire County Council, Leicester City Council and the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership to its ranks.

The partnership's aim is to improve journeys along the whole A46 for people travelling in and around Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire.

The A46 is an important route linking the East Midlands to the South West and an alternative to the A42/M42 for traffic travelling between the M1 and the M5. The road also cements economic links between the towns and cities it connects.

It currently has a mixture of single and dual carriageway sections. The partnership would like to see the road upgraded to expressway standard with reliable 'mile a minute' journeys that will help facilitate growth and support the local economy.

Cllr Vernon Smith, cabinet member for highways at Gloucestershire County Council and chair of the A46 Partnership, said, "This road is a major artery through Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire and Leicestershire. It is essential all the partners work together to realise our vision for the whole road, not just individual sections."

Cllr Blake Pain, cabinet member for highways at Leicestershire County Council, said: "I'm delighted that the council has joined with the A46 Partnership. Through our joint efforts we will work to ensure that the strategically important A46 route is upgraded to improve journey times and to support delivery of future housing and jobs to help power the Midlands Engine."

Nick Pulley, Chair of the Leicestershire Local Enterprise Partnership, said: "This is a fantastic partnership which will help boost accessibility across several counties. The proposed schemes address barriers to future housing and employment growth by unlocking a significant amount of land."

The road is managed by Highways England for the Department of Transport (DfT), so any future investment decisions will be made by central government.

The partners aim to provide the DfT and Highways England with compelling evidence as to why upgrades to the A46 are essential for long-term economic development.

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