COUNCIL chiefs say they are "on schedule" to get the huge dualling project along Worcester's Southern Link Road finished on time.

These images taken by the Worcester News show how the busy route is looking, with the ongoing £42 million expansion of the road altering its appearance almost by the week.

Having closed off the controversial Whittington island slip-lane, which was linked to a host of bumps and minor accidents, highways workers are busy tearing up swathes of the old embankment for a brand new lane.

Worcestershire County Council says the original timeline for the revamp - which is aimed at finishing the work by November or December 2018 - is still on track.

The hope is that by then around £70 million of Government cash will have been secured to dual the A4440 Carrington Bridge, with this year's submission of a 'business case' still sitting with Whitehall.

In recent months debate has raged around County Hall over whether the existing dualling will make enough of a difference unless the bridge itself is dealt with.

But bosses say they are still hopeful of securing the cash, and have told this newspaper the current targets are all being met.

Councillor Ken Pollock, the cabinet member for economy, skills and infrastructure, said: "The current phase of work on the Southern Link Road is on schedule and progressing well.

"With an investment of over £40 million to dual it between the Ketch and Whittington roundabouts, the programme is one of the biggest upgrades to road infrastructure in the county for many years.

"The scheme has been identified as one of the highest priorities in terms of tackling both current and future levels of congestion, which are a significant barrier to economic growth.

"This current phase of works includes improvements to Norton roundabout and the creation of a new dedicated left-hand turn from Whittington Road to Crookbarrow Way, removing the 'give way' arrangement on the Whittington island.

"While the work is progressing, we're also doing all we can to keep this important route open and minimise disruption to road users."

The case for dualling Carrington Bridge all the way to Powick island is known as 'phase four' and rests with ministers.

But it has the backing of business leaders across Worcestershire and Herefordshire, as well as MPs and council chiefs.

We revealed last year how around 30,000 vehicles use the route each weekday, with crippling congestion at peak times.

Sophisticated modelling in 2014 revealed how a 'do nothing' option would have resulted in a 30 per cent increase in waiting times by 2026.