Fears as Wolverhampton hit by yet more roadworks

Motorists entering the city from the Bilston Street island must now take a diversion through St George's Parade and Garrick Street, past the library and Wulfrun Centre, after the right turn into Pipers Row was closed over the weekend to allow tram lines to be replaced.

See also: Patience urged as Wolverhampton roadworks begin.

Councillor Mrs Wendy Thompson, leader of the city's opposition Conservative group, said she was extremely concerned about the impact the latest round of roadworks would have on businesses in the city and would be speaking to council's head of regeneration Tim Johnson today.

Last week jewellers T A Henn, E Marsh upholsterers, and Home and Office Stationers all said trade had fallen significantly since work began on alterations to the city's road layout in August.

The first round of changes closed Princess Street to vehicles and reversed the direction of traffic in Queen Street. Traffic which would have used Stafford Street to enter the city has been redirected to Bilston Street, where the turning has been shut off for at least a week.

See also: £3m work on major Wolverhampton island finally complete.

Further works will take place next week when part of Bilston Street island will be closed for four days.

Councillor Thompson said she could not understand why the council's road enhancement scheme had been scheduled to take place at the same time as the work on the tram lines.

"There appears to have been a complete lack of planning," she said.

Councillor Phil Bateman, of the ruling Labour group, said there was never an easy time to carry out major infrastructure work in the city, but that the long-term benefits were essential to the city's future prosperity.

"The extension to the tramway, and the maintenance that is required is crucial to the ongoing success of the city," he said.

The £4.5 million replacement of the tram lines is being carried out by public transport body Centro as part of an upgrade which will see the existing trams replaced by the new, larger Urbo 3 vehicles.

A Centro spokesman said: "This tram line plays a key role in supporting the local economy by providing a quick and reliable link to areas of employment, education and leisure.

"That's why it's so important we replace the tracks in Bilston Road which are now 15-years-old and in places only have a few months of life left in them.

"As with all projects of this nature there is a degree of disruption but we are liaising closely with Wolverhampton City Council and the bus companies to co-ordinate this work and minimise the impact on road users and passengers."