WHEN it opened in 1965 it threatened to be the biggest “white elephant” Worcester has ever seen.

The dual track Northern Link Road, which crossed north of the city from Warndon junction six of the M5 to join the A449 to/from Kidderminster at Hawford, cost £2m to build, but few drivers wanted to use it.

In those pre-West Mercia days it fell in Worcestershire Constabulary territory and Supt Douglas Thurston, head of the force’s traffic and communication department, said: “ Distrust, even fear, of motorways is a genuine public malady, especially among the weekend and elderly drivers.

“I don’t know why, but people are still scared stiff of motorways, even though the M5, for instance, is the safest stretch of road in Worcestershire.”

He then took a pop at the local media for referring to the Link as a motorway when in fact it was categorised as a conventional A-class dual carriageway. But then rather undermined this view by adding: “Although built to near motorway standards and with a design speed of 60 mph, it is not just a feeder road for the M5. The road provides a convenient route for travellers to Evesham and beyond.”

The situation was slightly blurred because at the time the M5 was two lanes itself – a third wasn’t added until the 1980s – and swinging off it onto the Link didn’t seem to be much of a different motoring experience.

Whatever, drivers were not keen and six weeks after it was officially opened on April 12, 1965 by a fairly anonymous gentleman named Mr ST Swingler, parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Transport, a traffic count showed it was being used daily by less than 5,000 vehicles, way short of the 8,200 planners said it would divert from the congested streets of Worcester.

Concern was such the County Highways Department even went as far as circulating large haulage firms with the plea “Please Use the Northern Link” and pointing out its advantages. As if lorry drivers didn’t know the best way to their destination.

All this led to an opinion piece in this paper headlined “They’re By-passing the By-pass” in May 1965 saying: “In these circumstances one might be justified in asking whether the Northern Link was correctly placed in the order of local priorities and the £2m it cost would have been better spent on building the city a second bridge.”

At the time the Southern Link road from Whittington to Powick via the Carrington Bridge was in the future and the extension to Crown East even farther away, but no-one knew that.

In due course – and it took years rather than months – the Northern Link became an integral part of Worcester’s road system and what would you do without it now. It was a project a bit like Sabrina footbridge and Parkway station, controversial, but put it there and eventually people will use it.

Now what about that river crossing at Kepax. No, better not go there.