Now will Stourport get a Relief Road?

Oh dear a somewhat self-praising letter in the Shuttle from a Conservative councillor regarding the mythical relief road.

Yup here comes Mark to the rescue, he'll get the funding that our 'voiceless' Independent was unable to obtain. Oh wait perhaps not.

A problem is the length of time this has been in funding hell, if it had been built 30 years ago all would have been well, in the intervening years the sites on which it was to be built have themselves been built upon or near to. While the route from the dual-carriageway to join up with the old power station rail spur and up to the river is still vaguely possible once a bridge is places across the options become to drive it through a caravan park, the sports fields, or the leisure centre. That's assuming the idea will still work anyway given current traffic patterns.

However I can't predict future patterns what with the Tesco on its way. If we have a second bridge that links up to it that will certainly alleviate problems with the town itself, while at the same time becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy that the supermarket will kill the town trade. Meanwhile the standard rush-hour traffic from Bewdley won't touch the road and traffic from Kidderminster will find itself stuck at a new island connecting Millfield Road to Hartlebury Road in the same way that traffic from Worcester Road gets stuck at the OGL island. Coming back that route will find them stuck at the main dual-carriageway in the same predicament - not having the right-of-way they currently enjoy.

While I'm all for a relief road I have to ask rather than what was it supposed to do then, what is it supposed to do now?