£3m work on major Wolverhampton island finally complete

Despite the announcement by the local authority, motorists, residents and businesses have endured a series of additional maintenance jobs at the Fordhouses junction, which was built to deal with the traffic demand of Jaguar Land Rover at i54.

Councillor for Bushbury North Ian Angus said the restructure of the road had impacted on traders but he was relieved things now appeared to be sorted.

"It has come as a relief that work has finished," Councillor Angus said. "There have been a series of complex issues. There have been problems with lights and pipe work that involves third parties that people didn't know about.

"I know that this was scheduled to be completed last December but council officers have been working as hard as they can to get it done."

Some of the delays and additional bits to the work was caused by last month's downpour of rain, which led to the Tarmac failing.

Councillor Angus said he had sympathy with the businesses that had had to put up with the roadworks and road closures.

The work has long been criticised by traders who have reported a drop of trade of by as much as 50 per cent.

The councillor said: "It has impacted on businesses and I have huge sympathy with traders around Vine Island. I have been out and spoken to a number of them and they have told me how they have been affected.

"This is a big project that needed to be done and once Jaguar Land Rover is in full flow they will all see the benefits of it ."

The roadworks included a northbound section of the A449 Stafford Road closing between Wobaston Road and junction two of the M54 and sections around Bee Lane also shutting down.