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Congestion-busting work to improve journey times along Willenhall Road

Ambitious plans to regenerate a major route which links Wolverhampton with the Black Country are under way.

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Willenhall Road, Wolverhampton, near the junction of Hickman Avenue

Improvements are set to be carried out in 2021 on the A454 Willenhall Road to improve conditions as part of a £30 million scheme.

A total of 8,000 homes will be built along the route with an additional 12,000 new jobs offered as part of regeneration plans.

Journey time reliability, the condition of the roads, cycling routes and crossings will be worked on across the entire stretch after it was identified as a "strategic growth corridor".

The route forms the eastern gateway to the city by linking up to the M6 Junction 10 for Walsall and the wider West Midlands.

The first two phases of the project will see Warwick Street and Duke Street, which lead onto the A454, become one way.

A large roundabout will be built between Chillington Fields and Hickman Avenue to improve access to East Park on both sides on the road.

Warwick Street, Wolverhampton

Now plans for the third and last phase could see Neachells Lane, which has a junction with the A454 Willenhall Road, widened to the west side to create an improved left-hand turn towards Willenhall Road eastbound.

The turning angle for traffic travelling between the two roads would also be improved to reduce the risk of accidents.

It would take between one to two years to complete and cost around £6 million, council bosses say.

Alternatively, a £16 million scheme could see a signalised hamburger roundabout running clockwise in a "western arc", connecting back onto Willenhall East and the west of Noose Lane.

A connecting road – running through the roundabout - will be maintained as part of the plans to ease traffic.

Council bosses say it would "simultaneously" improve journey time and mitigate congestion – but could take up to five years to complete.

It comes as bosses highlighted improvements at M6 Junction 10 – which is undergoing a £76 million revamp – would lead to a "potential increase" of traffic on the A454.

Rise of the hamburger island

The Chester hamburger, with carriageways driving through the roundabout

The hamburger island isn’t a new concept – there’s been one Chester for eight years and Shrewsbury has also got one.

The idea is to create a new route for traffic by ploughing a carriageway right through the middle of the roundabout.

The Boughton Heath island in Chester takes four lanes of traffic through, while the one at Shrewsbury’s Meole Brace is a far more genteel affair.

The Meole Brace island has won awards

The concept has also caused controversy. Residents rose up and forced design changes in Chester after numerous anecdotes of dangerous incidents. They included pedestrians being forced to put themselves at risk, huge amounts of traffic built up at all approaches and frequent incidents of road rage. Incidents also happened because the turning circle was too tight for lorries, and ‘rat-runs’ were being used by people on nearby routes.

The new road through the middle of Meole Brace Island has worked better and even won an award from the Institute of Highways Engineers. The island was re-modelled to increase capacity on the approaches and reduce congestion. Traffic signals, street lighting and signs were upgraded and a pedestrian pathway was created through the roundabout as well as a new carriageway for pedestrians.

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