Date set for i54 slip road work
Eighteen months of work on a £40 million slip road from the M54 to the i54 business park in South Staffordshire will begin on March 18.
Narrow lanes and speed limits of 50mph have been planned near junction two of the motorway. Lane closures on the slip roads to the west side of junction two of the M54 will also be in place.
The work is considered vital in order to cope with the increased traffic as a result of the £355m Jaguar Land Rover engine plant under construction at the park, which is creating 750 jobs.
The construction work will include the building of a new road bridge over the M54 to the west of the existing junction two, where it meets the A449 Stafford Road at Coven Heath. The existing junction slip roads will be extended and new roundabouts constructed.
The i54 is seen as crucial for the economy of the Black Country and Staffordshire and it is hoped that up to 10,000 jobs could be created by firms moving onto it and setting up to be part of the supply chain to manufacturers such as JLR.
The business park is already home to aerospace engineering firm Moog and laboratories company Eurofins.
Councillor Roger Lawrence, leader of Wolverhampton City Council, said: "Ensuring the transport infrastructure is right for a major development such as this is vital, and this investment will strengthen i54 South Staffordshire's links with the rest of the country."
