M54 resurfacing plea issued amid noise fears

Calls were being made to the government today for the M54 motorway to be resurfaced to the tune of £1.5 million to cut noise to neighbours.

Gavin Williamson, MP for South Staffordshire, wants the concrete surface of the motorway replaced with low noise Tarmac following complaints from residents living nearby.

This afternoon Mr Williamson was raising concerns of residents in Coven Heath with the roads minister Mike Penning during a debate in the House of Commons.

It comes as plans are progressing for a motorway flyover to take cars to and from the new £355m Jaguar Land Rover engine plant which will be built at the i54 business park.

Wolverhampton City Council and Staffordshire County Council will spend £36.7m on a revamp of junction 2 of the M54.

But residents say their lives will be blighted by noise if action is not taken to make the motorway quieter.

Mr Williamson said: "I am happy to have secured this debate. I want the minister to do as much as possible to reduce the impact on the residents of Coven Heath.

"The M54 needs to be resurfaced from Telford to South Staffordshire, where it links up with the M6.

"There is a low noise tar that can be used, called Whisper Tar in the trade."

The planned flyover had been seen as a crucial part of the deal to attract luxury car maker JLR to the i54.

Aerospace giant Moog is opening a new factory there later this year while laboratory firm Eurofins is also building a new base.

Work on the flyover is expected to start in June and take around 18 months.

Wolverhampton City Council will also spend £3m on a revamp of the Vine Island to cut congestion that bosses fear will grow as a result of more than 1,000 people travelling to the business park daily. JLR will create 755 jobs, Moog will move 450 workers to the site and Eurofins are creating 80 jobs and moving 180 staff.