Drivers face more disruption as major revamp of busy motorway junction continues
A series of closures around a busy motorway junction have been announced as major multi-million pound revamp work continues in the Black Country.
The congestion-busting overhaul of the M6 junction 10 for Walsall started in 2020 and had been due for completion last year, before it was pushed back, with a "number of unexpected, external factors" being blamed.
Officials have said the work is now in its "final stages" but roadworks, which have caused a major headache for drivers, are set to continue into next week.
National Highways has announced the closures as it continues to work around the junction and connecting roads, including work on the A454 Wolverhampton Road westbound to allow Openreach to carry out essential works.
The Openreach works started on March 20 and are running until May 19, with full closure of the dedicated left turn from the A454 Wolverhampton Road westbound into Tempus Drive.
Over the next few weeks the new traffic lights on the junction 10 roundabout will be tested, which will require some overnight road closures.
There will be lane closures on the mainline M6 northbound between junctions nine and 10 from Monday to Friday, 9pm until 5am.
The northbound entry slip road at junction 10 will be closed from Wednesday to Friday, from 9pm until 5am, with diversions in place.
From Wednesday to Friday, between 10pm and 5am, the A454 Black Country Route eastbound, on the approach to the junction 10 roundabout, and Wolverhampton Road West, from Arnwood Close to the junction 10 roundabout, will be closed.
At the same time there will also be lane closures on the A454 Wolverhampton Road westbound and the remaining open section of the roundabout.
On Monday and Tuesday next week, there will be a full closure of the northbound exit slip road and southbound entry slip road at junction 10 between 9pm and 5am.
From 10pm until 5am on those dates, the Black Country Route westbound and Wolverhampton Road westbound will be closed, as well as a partial closure of the roundabout.
There will be lane closures on the M6 mainline southbound between junctions 11 and 10 from Wednesday to Friday between 9pm and 5am.
A spokesman for National Highways said: "We’re continuing our work around the M6 junction 10 roundabout and some of the connecting roads. This includes the full closure of the dedicated left turn from A454 Wolverhampton Road westbound into Tempus Drive to allow Openreach to carry out some essential work until May 19.
"Over the next few weeks we’ll be testing and commissioning the new traffic signals on the M6 J10 roundabout. For the safety of our workers and all road users, this will require some overnight road closures.
"We’re sorry for the disruption this work may cause to your journey and encourage drivers to plan ahead and allow extra time when travelling. We’ll aim to reopen the roads sooner if we complete our work earlier than expected."
New bridges have been put in place to create a larger junction.
The oval shape of the previous junction roundabout has now been replaced by a circular island with wider lanes for traffic travelling to the M6 and between Walsall and Wolverhampton.
The work was due to end last autumn and then again in January.
No firm date has yet been set for the project’s completion.
For more information about the work visit nationalhighways.co.uk/our-roads/west-midlands/m6-junction-10-improvement
