Next step of major Wolverhampton road project set to get the green light
Highways bosses in Wolverhampton are set to approve the next stages of ongoing long-term plans to redevelop and improve traffic flow on a main route in and out of the city.
The City East Gateway scheme refers to the A454 Willenhall Road between the city centre and Walsall, which also provides connections to the Black Country Route and the M6 at Junction 10.
It also provides essential access to 34,000 homes and 75,000 jobs and forms part of the West Midlands Key Route Network (KRN) and the national Major Road Network (MRN), connecting Wolverhampton Ring Road at the western end with Walsall town centre to the east.
Cabinet chiefs are now looking to approve a supplementary capital budget of £400,000 for the development of phases 1 and 2 of the project, to cover early contractor engagement and the removal of vegetation and trees.
The route, which sees more than 20,000 vehicles pass through the gateway every day, has been identified as a growth area in need of improvements in the the region’s Well-Connected Communities Transport Capital Programme 2023-24 report.
In a report to cabinet members, Black Country Transport Project Manager Orla Duffey said: “The A454 City East Gateway phases 1 and 2 – Willenhall Road project extends from Bilston Street Island in Wolverhampton city centre through Middle Cross and Lower Horseley Fields, up to the Chillington Fields junction.
"The scheme also incorporates Walsall Street and Lower Walsall Street and passes through priority housing and employment sites including Canalside, East Park and the Neachells industrial area.
“The outline business case has been developed to release £36 million of direct investment for this priority corridor. This formalises the commitment to the project by the Department for Transport (DfT) and will provide confidence in the availability of £37.5 million of Major Road Network and City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) funding.
“In addition to the Major Road Network funding, Black Country Transport have been successful in receiving an allocation of the CRSTS, which is £1.05 billion. A proportion of this £1.05 billion – £18.2 million – has been allocated to the A454 corridor including the City East Gateway Willenhall Road section. The spending deadline for this funding is March 2027,” she added.
“The project was approved by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) in December 2022, allowing £400,000 from the overall A454 allocation to be drawn down for the East Gateway development during 2023-24. Phases 1 and 2 have provisionally been allocated £6 million of the total for the A454 City East Gateway corridor.”
The council’s Cabinet Resources Panel will receive the update next Wednesday.
