Wolverhampton bus station taking shape

Weighing half a ton each, 45 new windows are being inched into place at Wolverhampton's new bus station.

They will provide a thick barrier against the sound of a busy dual carriageway.

The pieces of glass are being installed at the new £22.5 million city centre project. The scheme has been under construction since last April.

Construction firm Bam is still on target to finish in the summer despite the harsh winter.

The project has been witnessed by commuters using the busy Wolverhampton Ring Road, together with bus passengers who have been forced to use temporary stops on city streets.

And it has created a new landmark, with the two-storey station building standing alongside three long bus stands covered with a bright white canvas roof.

Project manager Ivan Gethin said: "The windows have been brought over from Ireland and they are being installed by electric suckers attached to a crane.

"They have to be heavy because they need excellent soundproofing given how close the building is to the main road.

"The building with the windows will be a retail unit and we are doing the plastering inside it at the moment."

The station building is currently completely open plan but the ground floor will be sectioned off to provide space for National Express to have its travel shop and for the Unite trade union, whose Pipers Row House base was demolished to make way for the new bus station.

The upstairs section could also be used for offices or shops, and developer Neptune is working to find tenants to take it on.