Wolverhampton roadworks on busy main road to spark bus chaos
Major roadworks on one of the busiest main roads in Wolverhampton were beginning today – with buses forced to find diversions at short notice.
Temporary traffic lights are at The Rock in Tettenhall to cope with extra traffic being forced up Henwood Road due to part of Bridgnorth Road in Compton being shut.
The lights will provide a right turn filter to manage the cars that will be diverted along the congested Tettenhall Road.
And it has emerged bus companies National Express West Midlands and Arriva were only told on Wednesday about the closure – just three days ahead of work starting.
Council highways bosses say they now have to dig up a section of Bridgnorth Road near the Oddfellows Pub for around 10 days to deal with 'severe storm water flooding' and the risk of a collapse.
The roadworks affect the 10 services to Perton operated by National Express West Midlands and the 10, 10A and 10B run by Arriva. Opposition Conservative councillor Wendy Thompson, who represents Tettenhall Wightwick, said: "Wherever we look at the moment in Wolverhampton it's one mess after another. It may be half term but people have to be able to get to work."
Council spokesman Tim Clark said: "A meeting took place on Wednesday and the bus companies were informed.
"We've had to act swiftly to prevent a void we've discovered in the road potentially getting worse and causing the carriageway to collapse."
It is another set of roadworks by the city council to have come under fire. Traffic wardens were found to have ticketed buses that had stopped in the city centre, where the road layout has been changed and Midland Metro engineering work is taking place.
Motorists were also sent on needless detours after signs were left up saying roads were closed in the city centre when they had been re-opened. It meant drivers travelling into the city centre from Stafford Street drove anti-clockwise around the ring road to get to Bilston Street – 1.6 miles out of their way.
