Black Country motorists face Bank Holiday misery as roadworks continue

Highways England made the announcement to help motorists by removing more than 300 miles of roadworks with the expectation that it will be one of the busiest times for the UK’s roads.

Roadworks that are lifted or suspended will be on motorways and A-roads from 6am on Friday, August 24 until just after midnight on Tuesday, August 28.

However, with 19 stretches of road set to be lifted and 141 aimed to be completed across the UK before the end of the month, there are no plans for roads across the Black Country.

A Highways England spokesman said: “We want everyone to have good journeys this bank holiday and we’re encouraging everyone to check their vehicles before setting off.

“To help people have smoother journeys we have removed as many roadworks as possible, leaving only essential work in place. However, it is not possible to remove all roadworks due to safety reasons.”

This comes as added bad news for Black Country commuters after a mammoth project with Oldbury Viaduct having been delayed by six months.

Waterproofing and repairs have been ongoing since April 2017 and it been scheduled to finish by the autumn.

However, due to the prolonged spell of hot weather, the plans have been pushed back to 2019. Highways England said they wanted to finish the project as early as possible, but could not give a definitive time.

Regarding the plans for the bank holiday, Highways England’s customer service director, Melanie Clarke, said: “We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible for this August getaway and that’s why we’re keeping more than 97 per cent of the road network we manage, free from roadworks.

“We’d remind people about the importance of checking their vehicle before setting off and simple things like checking fuel and oil levels, tyre pressure and that all the lights work properly, can keep you moving and the network flowing.”

To help ensure road users get to their destinations safely, Highways England is calling on motorists to check their vehicles before setting off.

Research by the government-owned company shows almost half of all breakdowns are caused by simple mechanical problems which could be avoided with simple checks and nearly a quarter are caused by tyre problems.

Nearby, four stretches of concrete repairs on the slip road for junction 6 of the M6 near Gravelly Hill, Birmingham, will be lifted while one mile of maintenance work between junction 11-12 of the A42 near Tamworth will be completed in time for the busy period.