Stafford

Stafford is a medium-sized Primary Destination and the historic county town of Staffordshire. Its road network is managed by Staffordshire County Council, with the exception of the M6, which is managed by National Highways.

History

M6 Bypass

The 4.75 mile section from J13 Dunston to J14 Creswell was opened on 2 August 1962 by Ernest Marples, Minister of Transport although a 2 1/2 year old boy at the ceremony nearly "cut" the blue ribbon across the motorway first! It was the second length of dual 3-lane motorway in the country, almost 3 years after the M1. Contractor was John Laing and Son with a tender cost of £2.68 million. The total cost was £3.876 million and included the half mile long Creswell Viaduct over the Sow valley constructed by J. L. Keir and Co. Two radio-controlled ambulances and rescue vehicles fitted with flood lights and fire, resuscitation, and lifting equipment patrolled the road continuously after opening.

Inner Relief Road

The dual carriageway Queensway was officially opened on 12 June 1978 by Cyril Finney, Staffordshire County Council Highways Committee Chairman. Even he admitted he was surprised by the forest of traffic lights, but the alternative was pedestrian subways which would never have got through. There was a cartoon of a coachload of tourists coming to see the “illuminations”! He said that “when the (traffic light) computer starts working in six to eight weeks time it will be dead easy”. Parts of the road were in use earlier. Contractor was Balfour Beatty Construction Ltd., contract cost £3 million, total cost £6.5 million.

Stafford Eastern Distributor Road

The initial section between B5066 Sandon Road (Stafford exit) and A518 Weston Road is shown on 1946 Ordnance Survey maps. The road was completed when the one mile section from A34 Stone Road to B5066 Sandon Road (Stafford exit) was opened on 23 April 1976. Cost was £597,000.

The long term plan was to extend it to the A34 Cannock Road, but this has never been built..

Stafford Western Access Route

Linking A518 Newport Road to A34 Foregate Street at Madford Retail Park. The final part of the scheme, the viaduct over River Sow, connecting Doxey Road to A34 was reported as completed by the Express and Star on 19 November 2021. Unicorn Way had opened earlier in the year. The Doxey Road bridge and re-alignment had opened by 2 July 2021. The existing Martin Drive and Kingsway was used for the A518 link. It was opened as an unclassified road.

Maps

Stafford in the relevant 1922-23 MoT map

Initial section of the Stafford Eastern Distributor Road in 1956

Routes

Several routes run through the Stafford area.

Route	To	Notes
M6	The NORTH WEST, Stoke-on-Trent, Preston
M6	The SOUTH, Birmingham, Wolverhampton
A34	Stone, Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme
A34	Cannock
A449	Wolverhampton
A513	Rugeley, (A51) Lichfield
A518	Telford	Tourist Route to Stafford Castle
A518	Uttoxeter
A5013	Eccleshall
B5066	Sandon
A455	Cannock	now A34
A449	Newcastle-under-Lyme	now A34
B5025	Railway station
B5026	Eccleshall	now A5013