Motorists and public transport users in Dudley borough are being asked to plan their journeys with real-time information as preliminary construction activity for the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension is set to get underway along Duncan Edwards Way.
From late October to early November, there will be an off-peak lane restriction in place on the carriageway allowing the team from Midland Metro Alliance (MMA), which is planning, designing, and delivering Metro extensions on behalf of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), to safely work in the area.
Road users are being advised to plan ahead using real-time information and live updates provided by West Midlands Roads to help keep the travelling public moving.
Motorists and public transport users in Dudley borough are being asked to plan their journeys with real-time information as preliminary construction activity for the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension is set to get underway along Duncan Edwards Way.
From late October to early November, there will be an off-peak lane restriction in place on the carriageway allowing the team from Midland Metro Alliance (MMA), which is planning, designing, and delivering Metro extensions on behalf of Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), to safely work in the area.
Road users are being advised to plan ahead using real-time information and live updates provided by West Midlands Roads to help keep the travelling public moving.
Early works for the game-changing Metro route got underway in the summer with de-vegetation activity along parts of the busy by-pass. These works are expected to increase along Duncan Edwards Way later in 2021 and early next year with plans in place to ensure traffic flow in both directions along the A461 at all-times.
Andy Street, the Mayor of the West Midlands, said:
“The Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension will be an absolute game changer for Dudley. Not only will it connect the borough with more of Sandwell, Wolverhampton, and the east and west of Birmingham by tram, this extension will also provide a direct route for many across the Black Country to travel directly to the new Curzon Street station for HS2. But this work cannot happen without some disruption to existing transport mechanisms, which is why we are urging those in the area, or driving through it, to keep up-to-date with what measures may be in place using channels like West Midlands Roads.”
Councillor Simon Phipps, Dudley Council Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Enterprise, added:
“These are exciting years for our borough as a number of multi-million-pound projects progress through development and into delivery, including Metro works already well underway on Castle Hill. We’re currently delivering £1billion worth of investment including a new leisure centre, very light rail innovation centre, a university campus and much more. Along with the Metro work that is set to be very visible along Duncan Edwards Way, we really are seeing a glimpse of what’s to come over the next few years. These schemes will not only change the landscape of Dudley but also lead to more opportunities for people in terms of jobs, training and connectivity, but we need those in the area to heed the important travel advice of our partners so they can keep moving as the construction progresses.”
The construction activity for the Metro is being planned in phases to minimise disruption on the transport network. Initially, activity will involve off-peak and localised lane restrictions, with some limited speed restrictions as the MMA’s construction team works in the carriageway.
Andy Jacques, MMA Construction Manager, explains:
“We’ve planned our works to be quite fluid and the team and I will be adapting both the needs of the transport network, but also unknowns, including exact locations of buried services. In coming weeks work will include trial excavations to locate any utilities below ground so these can be upgraded and moved ahead of us being more noticeable later in the year and in 2022 with main construction. Due to the adaptive nature of work in autumn, we’re joining our colleagues by asking those travelling to plan their journeys and turn to West Midlands Roads to see exactly when and where we will be at work on Duncan Edwards Way throughout the last three months of the year.”
TfWM is committed to investing in the Metro and along with game-changing new tram lines, which will transform public transport in the West Midlands, has also committed to ensuring that the region is able to keep moving through investment in real-time information systems. Central to this is the state-of-the art Regional Transport Coordination Centre (RTCC) which feeds accurate and swiftly changing travel information straight to those using the transport network via West Midlands Roads online channels. It now has more than 35,000 followers across Facebook and Twitter following its launch in December 2019.
Mark Corbin, Director for Network Resilience for TfWM, said:
“The social media accounts for West Midlands Roads have quickly established themselves as a trusted source of travel advice for road users. With the necessary need for Metro construction work along Duncan Edwards Way to be fairly agile, we know that West Midlands Roads will also be valuable in helping to manage disruption as this key investment programme continues to be delivered.”
The Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension will boost public transport in the Black Country, providing much-needed links to the existing heavy and light rail networks, and helping to connect people to education, training and career opportunities further afield in the West Midlands.
The extension will also play its part in helping to regenerate the Sandwell, Dudley and Brierley Hill areas, making it more attractive to investors and providing easy access to the region’s many and varied attractions via public transport. Once up and running the new system will also reduce journey times when compared to travelling by car.
Works are taking place across the Sandwell and Dudley boroughs throughout 2021 and residents and businesses are being urged to keep up to date with progress in their area by visiting www.metroalliance.co.uk regularly.