Plans for a congestion-busting third lane near a regularly-gridlocked Uttoxeter roundabout look set to be shelved.
The A50 Growth Corridor Project was due to include an extra lane both ways between the A522 turnoff and the Little Chef roundabout.
But highways bosses could now postpone the move, which is part of the scheme's ongoing Project A, amid road safety concerns.
They say the new lanes will have "nothing to link to" if built before the second part of the £40 million plan.
And there is still no solid plan or timescale in place to deliver Project B.
County Councillor Mark Winnington, Cabinet member for economic growth, said: "If we widen the dual carriageway now without anything to link to, the concern would be that the redundant eastbound lane would confuse drivers approaching the roundabout or even be mistaken for a layby, while the work westbound would affect the Shell garage, just west of the B5030 roundabout, for no gain.
"Instead, it’s proposed to improve the access to the Shell petrol garage, making it safer for customers to use.
"This is a common-sense proposal which keeps the road safe and improves access to the petrol station, while avoiding spending taxpayers’ money until it is needed.
"Project A is bringing great benefits to Uttoxeter, road users and the wider county and in time Project B will do the same."
A revised planning application will be submitted to Staffordshire County Council "in due course", a spokesman said.
What is the A50 Growth Corridor Project?
The project is being delivered by Staffordshire County Council on behalf of Highways England - the Government's major road-building department.
Project A is designed to ease congestion and offer easy access to the the now-under-construction 700-home Bramshall Meadows housing development.
It is currently being built and, when finished, will include a new bridge, three roundabouts, new slip roads and link roads between the Little Chef and Blythe Bridge roundabouts.
Project B initially involved bulldozing the Little Chef and Derby Road roundabouts and replacing them with a flyover.
Under the original plans, three families were set to lose their homes and 37 businesses would be forced to give up land or their entire premises.
Access to the McDonald's and Derby Road service stations from the A50 would also have been crippled.
But Project B is now being re-thought by Highways England, the Government's major road development department.
