£4.9m A550 safety upgrades completed at Two Mills

A £4.9 million National Highways project to improve safety along sections of the A550 at Two Mills, near Ellesmere Port, has been completed.

Chester North and Neston MP Samantha Dixon marked the occasion with a visit to the site on Friday, 13 December 2024, to see the series of improvements designed to make the four-mile route safer for pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists, and drivers.

The project, which stretches from the A494 at Shotwick to the A41 near Hooton, includes:

• New footways to improve public access and rights of way
• Roadside safety barriers
• Upgraded lighting using energy-saving LED bulbs
• A dozen new average speed cameras to enforce the 50mph speed limit
• Renewed road signs and vehicle-activated signals warning drivers at key junctions.

During her visit, MP Samantha Dixon praised the investment, saying:

“It’s great to see these important safety improvements completed and to see such investment in important roads in the constituency that will make a real difference for local residents and all who travel through the Chester North and Neston constituency.

“Thank you to everyone involved in delivering these works and for the opportunity to visit to see them first-hand. This project will undoubtedly have a positive impact on our community.”

Targeted safety improvements

The improvements come in response to collision statistics highlighting safety concerns on the A550. Between January 2015 and December 2019, 31 collisions were recorded along the route, eight of them serious. A third occurred at the junction with the A540.

National Highways project manager Ian Spence said:

“The A550 project aims to improve safety for all road users and contribute to the reduction [in the] number of people harmed on the region’s roads.

“We have reduced roadside hazards by removing trees with Ash Dieback disease, replaced existing lighting columns with passive safe columns, and installed new sections of footway.

“Road safety is National Highways’ number one priority, with an ambition for no-one to be harmed while travelling or working on our roads.”

The current project began in April 2024 and was largely completed by November, with minor finishing works scheduled for January 2025.

The A550 is a vital route for commuters and businesses, with over 30,000 vehicles using the road daily.