THIS stunning image shows the progress on the most significant Worcester roads revamp for a generation - as the £41 million A4440 Southern Link Road work marches on relentlessly.

Your Worcester News has secured this picture taken from a drone, showing the busy route as the transformation takes place.

One year ago, Worcestershire County Council sunk £8 million into a project to enlarge the Ketch island to nearly double its previous size, in a scheme which has virtually finished.

The project involves dualling the route all the way up to Whittington island by Junction 7 of the M5, but does not include the A4440 Carrington Bridge because the estimated £70 million cost remains out of reach.

Under the work, the council will take temporary ownership of the Network Rail bridge to widen it, providing enough room for the dualling, and contract a bridleway bridge nearby, in a mammoth next phase due for completion by the summer of 2018.

The A4440 is one the most heavily used sections of Worcestershire’s road network, used by approximately 30,500 vehicles per average weekday.

It has not been without controversy, with 1,000 people signing a petition only this week against the Ketch island, which now features two lanes that quickly merge into one as motorists enter Carrington Bridge.

As your Worcester News revealed yesterday, the county council is bringing forward a safety probe after concerns were raised about the Ketch.

By 2018 the hated Whittington island slip-road will lead all the way down to Norton roundabout without drivers have to brake first.

Meanwhile, the council is lobbying Government ministers to try and secure the estimated £70 million to dual Carrington Bridge at a later date.

Councillor John Smith, the cabinet member for highways, said: "We are extremely pleased with progress on this major project, which represents an investment of around £40 million and will relieve congestion by improving the traffic flow between Worcester and surrounding areas.

"We would like to thank motorists for their patience during the work carried out so far and as much of this as possible has been carried out at night in order to minimise the disruption to traffic.

"This is the largest scheme of its type in Worcestershire for a generation and will bring very real benefits for motorists and the local economy as a whole."