Work on a £150 million project to open up the hard shoulder to rush-hour drivers in the West Midlands began on the M6 today.

A lane of the motorway will be closed overnight at one of its busiest points, Junction 10 for Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Workmen will be digging around to see if the ground could cope with active-traffic management systems, such a variable speed limits, similar to those in use on the M42.

Workers from the Highways Agency will be at Junction 10 between 9pm and 5am from tonight until Saturday.

The aim over the next 18 months is to allow the hard shoulder to be used during busy periods.

Variable speed limits, similar to those already used on the M42, are also being brought in to improve traffic conditions.

Phase one continues until the end of 2009 and will see variable speed limits and the hard shoulder used between Junctions 4 and 5 of the M6 at Birmingham.

Early next year work will start in the Black Country between Junction 8 at West Bromwich and Junction 10A, with the M54.

Maintenance

Commuters currently face daily snarl-ups and have to allow more than half an hour to get through this part of the motorway.

Work will also be done on the M40 Junction 16, where it meets the M42 Junction 3A at Bromsgrove, and on the M42 Junctions 7 to 9 in Birmingham.

Derek Turner, Highways Agency network operations director, said: “We are looking to keep all three lanes open during construction, especially during busy periods. We will need to close the motorway for short periods but we will do this overnight.”

Junctions of the M6 elsewhere will also be closed for routine maintenance this week.

The link road from the M6 to the M5 at Junction 8 at West Bromwich will be closed in both directions from 10pm to 5am tonight for maintenance work.

Junction 7 at Great Barr will also be closed for maintenance work.

There will also be lane closures on the A449 Gailey to the M54 Junction 2 from today until Friday between 9.30am and 3.30pm for work on safety fences.

By Daniel Wainwright