Motorists facing roadworks misery

A £2.2 million roadworks project was today announced on a busy dual carriageway near Wolverhampton – which will see drivers sent on a 17-mile diversion and cause weeks of disruptions.

Motorists have been warned of traffic misery when a two-mile stretch of the A449 Stafford Road is closed for six weeks from February.

Workers will move in to resurface the section of road between the M54 junction two and Coven.

Highways bosses said a diversion would be in place that will see drivers sent along the M54 from junction two to junction three, then along the A41 Newport Road and back along the A5 in order to reach Coven.

The Highways Agency said the new carriageway would "provide a smoother running surface, better ride quality, improved skid resistance and new white lines and cats' eyes to improve safety for road users".

But Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, said: "It will be a huge inconvenience for motorists and will push traffic onto roads that would struggle to cope. I will be contacting the Highways Agency to urge them to do this as speedily as possible and to minimise the impact."

It comes as people in the area are gearing up for another 18 months of disruption and work starting next summer to create a £36.7 million slip road from the M54 onto the i54 business park, off Stafford Road, for Jaguar Land Rover's £350m engine plant.

And the Vine Island at Fordhouses on the A449 is also being replaced in a £3m development.

Another stretch of the A449 Stafford Road in Oxley will be dug up for around four months from January as Severn Trent lays new storage tanks in the grounds of Oxley Park Golf Club, and carry out maintenance.