A £1.5 million road improvement scheme set to ease one of Marlow’s traffic black spots could create 1,000 jobs for the town, if it is awarded essential funding.

If approved, the project - led by Bucks & Thames Valley Local Enterprise Partnership (BTVLEP) – would reduce the heavy traffic that plagues the A404 Westhorpe Interchange at peak times and improve access to and from Globe Business Park.

BTVLEP is waiting for the green light from Highways England after it submitted a bid for around £1.3 million to its Growth and Housing Fund – a government money pot set aside for road improvements.

The improvements would form part the partnership’s bigger plan to create 1,000 jobs for the area by making the 15,000 square meters worth of empty plots on Globe Park more attractive to businesses.

Public support is essential in making sure the project is awarded the cash in what the BTVLEP development manager Jim Sims is calling a very competitive process.

He said: “It clearly is a traffic pinch point that causes a lot of frustration but you cannot guarantee everyone feels the same.

“If residents are supportive of the scheme then we would ask them to write to their local MP or minister of transport so we can rally up support. Public support is essential in making sure we are moved to the top of the priority list.”

BTVLEP, Highways England, Bucks County Council, and Wycombe District Council have been working together to explore improving the junction for over a year due to fears the current accident levels and congestion will drive businesses away from the industrial estate.

The groups will find out if the bid has been successful within the next six months however it could take work as long as four years to start.

District and town councillor, Roger Wilson, said: “During the process of successfully establishing the business improvement district at Globe Business Park, businesses highlighted that access and egress was one of the key issues that needed addressing.

“Coupled with our plans to improve parking provision, improvements to access and egress will not only benefit businesses that are already based at the park, but will also make Globe Business Park a much more attractive proposition to businesses looking to relocate."

Wycombe District Council will contribute £250,000 towards highway improvements, with BTVLEP allocating £63,000 towards preparation work.