Drivers face four-mile diversion during work
Motorists will be affected by four miles of diversions when a main route closes for more than a year during a multi-million pound road improvement scheme.
Bentley Mill Way, in Darlaston, an arterial route for businesses in the area and near to Showcase Cinema, will be closed to drivers and pedestrians for 13 months from October 26.
The route is one of four that will be improved as part of the £26m congestion-busting project that received Government approval in August.
The scheme aims to cut congestion in Darlaston and Pleck, creating better links to businesses including those that will be based in the Black Country Enterprise Zone.
The closure of Bentley Mill Way will be from Darlaston Road to just north of the James Bridge Aqueduct. A diversion route will be in place, but all businesses along Bentley Mill Way will remain open as normal.
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Drivers face a four-mile diversion along Darlaston Road, Pleck Road, Wolverhampton Road and the Black Country Route to reach their destination.
Alternatively, they would have to travel more than three miles along Heath Road, Willenhall Road and Wolverhampton Road West.
Site workers from contractor Dawnus Construction Ltd will widen the carriageway and install new traffic signals near to the 200-year-old aqueduct to remove the potential for head-on collisions. The level of the road beneath the structure will also be lowered to give more room for taller vehicles to pass through.
Traffic signals will be installed at the new junction between Darlaston Road and Bentley Mill Way, with the new junction being created by reducing access from Cemetery Road and creating new carriageway.
A footpath will be included along the west of Bentley Road South and a cycle and footpath will be installed along the east side.
Three other projects will be taking place in the area, including improvements to Bentley Road South and a widened Brown Lion junction.
A new roundabout will be installed at the junction of Bescot Road and Wallows Lane next summer. The entire scheme is expected to be completed in February 2016.
Walsall Council said thousands of leaflets have been distributed to businesses and residents warning them of the road closure.
Walsall's transport chief, Councillor Lee Jeavons, said: "This is a big project that has been on the table for more than a decade.
"It needs to be done if we want to support the growth of local businesses, including new employment opportunities in the Black Country Enterprise Zone. There is great potential for us to take this unused land and turn it into a major centre for economic growth and jobs."
