Oakalls Roundabout now finishes in June 2027 on the contractor's latest plans, the roads minister told MPs. He ruled out a National Highways takeover of BREP.

Updated 22 October: the council’s promised October programme update had not appeared by Thursday. Its Our plan to the finish page now says phase 3 is about 75 per cent done and aims to finish by the “end of spring 2027”. Spend to the end of September was £37,452,848 of £49,698,512. The FAQ page still says “end of March 2027”, and neither gives the June date for Oakalls.

The Oakalls Roundabout works on the A38 are now expected to finish in June 2027. That is the date the transport minister gave MPs on Tuesday, in a Westminster Hall debate on the Bromsgrove Route Enhancement Programme.

Justin Madders said the contractor’s latest plans put the roundabout last, finishing in June. He added that Worcestershire County Council is “exploring opportunities to accelerate delivery”. The council is “hopeful” the roundabout could be brought forward to the spring.

He also told Bromsgrove’s MP, Bradley Thomas, that handing the scheme to National Highways was “neither appropriate nor, indeed, possible”. The exchange is on the record in Hansard for 13 October.

What the minister said

Mr Madders, a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Transport, replied for the Government. His main points:

  • Finish dates. “Most elements of the programme are expected to be completed in early 2027.” Oakalls will be the final section, finishing in June 2027 on the contractor’s latest plans, possibly spring if the council can speed it up.
  • The cause. The “principal cause of delay” has been “numerous previously uncharted utility assets along the A38 corridor, including complex gas infrastructure”. Bad weather and working safely on a live road have added to it.
  • No takeover. National Highways runs England’s strategic road network. BREP is a local authority scheme on local roads, so it “falls outside its remit”. There is “no mechanism” for the Department to take over delivery from the county council.
  • Who answers for it. Responsibility “rests with Worcestershire county council as the local highway authority”. The Department funds and oversees the scheme, but “oversight is not the same thing as management”.
  • The 2025 review. An independent review found many delays “unavoidable” and the programme “remains deliverable”. It also found public confidence had suffered and recommended better communications, which he said the council has taken on.
  • Businesses. He said he had raised the effect on local businesses with the council directly. It pointed to its work around the opening of the new Sainsbury’s and with Avoncroft Museum on signs and diversions.

He ended by saying he was “happy to work with” Mr Thomas and the council “to see that those benefits are delivered as soon as possible”.

How June compares with what the council publishes

The June date is more precise than anything the county council has put on its own pages. We checked them again on 15 October.

  • The council’s BREP questions page still says phase 3 “is due to complete by the end of March 2027”.
  • Its phase 3 page says “some activities” will continue into spring 2027.
  • The same page promises a programme update “in October 2026”. It had not appeared by 15 October, or by 22 October.

The minister’s letter of 4 September had said “summer 2027” for Oakalls. Tuesday’s answer narrows that to June. We set out that letter in our earlier report, the Minister says Oakalls runs to summer 2027.

Timeline of finish dates published for the A38 BREP works in Bromsgrove. 3 September 2026, council FAQ: end of 2026. 4 September, minister's letter: Oakalls in summer 2027. 10 September, council FAQ: end of March 2027. 13 October, the minister in Westminster Hall: Oakalls in June 2027, possibly spring. 15 October: council FAQ still says end of March 2027.
The finish dates published for BREP phase 3 since September. Graphic by Bromsgrove News
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What the MP said

Mr Thomas opened the 30-minute debate just after 4pm. He said Bromsgrove is “suffering under the chaos of BREP and the mismanagement of its delivery”. He described his engagement with the county council as “incredibly tokenistic”.

He raised these points:

  • Regents Park Road. The entrance to the Oakalls estate has been narrowed. He said he had seen drivers speeding to get through before another vehicle appears, and that the council’s cabinet member had not said yes to his invitation to meet residents there.
  • The benefit. He said the scheme is due to improve a typical A38 journey “by just two minutes”, and warned it could become “a white elephant”.
  • Delays. If the programme finishes in early 2027, he said, it will have been “delayed effectively twice” from its original completion date.
  • His questions. He has sent 34 questions to the Transport Secretary on how the scheme is run and who bears the extra cost, and asked the minister to help get them answered.

He also paid tribute to the 83-year-old cyclist who died on New Road last month. He said he was “not linking the two events”. The minister passed on his own sympathies to the man’s family. Our report on the collision is here.

Two other MPs intervened. Jim Shannon, the DUP member for Strangford, called for stricter oversight of such schemes. Mark Garnier, the Conservative MP for Wyre Forest, used his intervention to call for a Stourport relief road.

What it means for you

  • Plan for works at Oakalls into next summer. The June 2027 date comes from the contractor’s own programme, as reported by the minister. Spring is a hope, not a commitment.
  • Nothing changes this week. The overnight A38 closures at Stoke Road Bridge run to Saturday morning, with 19 to 24 October held in reserve. Our Bromsgrove roadworks page carries every closure and diversion.
  • Complaints go to the county. The minister was clear that the council, not Whitehall, answers for delivery. Worcestershire County Council is the highway authority, and its BREP pages list how to contact the project team.
  • Watch for the October update. The council’s own programme update is due this month. We will report what it says against the June date.

Sources