Work to open up the hard shoulder on the M6 through the Black Country as part of a £150 million jam-busting scheme will start within weeks, it was revealed today.

Motorists were today warned the speed limit will be cut to 50mph in parts and narrower lanes introduced, as well as possible overnight closures as the project progresses. It is hoped the work will be completed by spring next year after which drivers will be directed to use the hard shoulder during peak congestion by electronic signs above each lane.

But the move has been criticised by residents living near the M6, who say it will bring the motorway closer to their homes.

The Highways Agency said today the main work to open up the hard shoulder between Junction 8 at Wednesbury, where the M6 meets the M5, and Junction 10a at Essington, where it meets the M54, will get started after the August bank holiday.

It will be completed in two stages with the speed restrictions and narrow lanes in force between Junction 10, for Walsall and Wolverhampton, and Junction 10a from next month until March 2010.

The restrictions will then move to Junction 8 and 10 between March and November next year.

The project will involve building another 44 gantries to carry the new overhead signs and another 14 emergency refuge areas for drivers featuring the new-style emergency telephones for use in the event of a breakdown or emergency.

There is also associated work on safety fences and the Highways Agency will be installing equipment cabinets next to the gantries to allow the overhead signs to be maintained from the roadside to reduce lane closures in the future.

Highways Agency spokesman Anthony Aston said today: “We will do most work from the hard shoulder, meaning we can keep three lanes open at busy times.”

The work is part of a £150 million project which has had funding from the Department for Transport’s Transport Innovation Fund and follows on from success of a scheme on the M42.