The Government has acknowledged the importance of improvements to a “bottleneck” M18 junction in Doncaster in supporting growth in South Yorkshire.

It comes after leaders of the region’s private sector wrote to the Transport Secretary, Heidi Alexander MP, encouraging her to invest in junction three of the M18, which will serve Doncaster Sheffield Airport and the planned Gateway East development.

A spokesperson for the Department for Transport told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS): “We’re working closely with Doncaster Council and the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority to support growth around Gateway East and Doncaster Sheffield Airport, and we recognise the importance of the M18 Junction 3 to those plans.”

The chief executives of South Yorkshire’s three chambers of commerce told the Secretary of State that the area is a “transport bottleneck” and improving the regularly gridlocked motorway junction is “the single most important infrastructure intervention required to realise the full economic potential of the area”.

Dan Fell MBE, CEO of Doncaster Chamber of Commerce, had said in a statement that businesses tell him “gridlock at Junction 3 stifles their ability to move goods and personnel efficiently”.

The letter, which was co-signed by Louisa Harrison-Walker, Sheffield Chamber of Commerce, and Carrie Sudbury, Barnsley and Rotherham Chamber of Commerce, detailed a “deliverable, costed” £50million solution developed in partnership with National Highways.

Earlier in the year, the City of Doncaster Council told the LDRS upgrades could include a new gyratory – the official name for the multi-lane roundabouts often used at motorway junctions – and could cost up to £80million.

Doncaster Chamber Chief Executive Dan Fell MBE. | Doncaster Chamber

placeholder image — Doncaster Chamber Chief Executive Dan Fell MBE. | Doncaster Chamber

When contacted by the LDRS, the Department for Transport revealed it was working with local authorities and National Highways to explore how future transport improvements can best support growth in South Yorkshire.

The department said future investment priorities for motorways and A roads will be set out in the next Road Investment Strategy, due to be published in March 2026.

The Mayor of Doncaster Ros Jones told the LDRS that capacity and traffic flow improvements were “vital” and thanked the local chambers of commerce for “throwing their collective support behind the scheme”.

Junction 3 of the M18 is in need of improvements if it is to cope with the expected increase in demand over the coming years. | Google

“We are in discussions with the Government about this and working with our MPs and the Mayor of South Yorkshire to lobby for this scheme,” Jones added.

The M18 J3 is the main motorway junction set to serve Doncaster Sheffield Airport, which is expected to be reopening in the coming years.

It will also be the main M18 exit and entry for the Gateway East development surrounding the airport, including 1,200 new homes and business and leisure facilities.

National Highways have previously issued holding recommendations for planning applications in the area, due to concerns over the capacity of the road network to handle increased demand.