More M54 misery as repairs will overrun by two months

The work was originally meant to finish this month but Highways England says the condition of the road is worse than expected.

The upgrade and barrier replacement between junctions 3 and 5 will now not finish until June.

Drivers face night-time closures between the two junctions until June 13, with closures between 9pm and 6am. A diversion route will be put in place and clearly signposted to help ease motorist's journeys.

Alistair Harris, spokesman for Highways England said: "Our work to upgrade the central reservation barrier on the M54 between junctions 3 and 5 on the Staffordshire border will be completed later than we first expected.

"We now expect work will be completed in late June rather than April as originally planned, due to some challenging ground conditions that we discovered after construction started.

"We will continue to do all we can to keep traffic flowing while the work is carried out, and we are sorry for any inconvenience to drivers using this part of the M54 for their journeys."

Average speed cameras have also been put in place to enforce a 40mph speed limit for westbound traffic during the day when two narrow lanes will be in place and a 50mph restriction for motorists travelling east during the work.

Sections of the westbound route continue to be reduced to one lane during the day during off-peak times and at weekends.

As part of the project central reservation barriers are being replaced, the road resurfaced and drainage improved as part of the work.

Project manager Purnima Kaul said the work was "vital" and would be completed as quickly as possible.

"This is a very important scheme to replace and upgrade safety features on this stretch of the M54.

"We are replacing the central reservation barrier and improving the drainage.

"This will help keep drivers safe, whilst the drainage improvements will reduce spray from the road surface," he said.

"We are making further improvements to journeys at the same time, by replacing the road surface.

"The new surface will be smoother and much quieter, and should reduce the need for further work in this area for some time to come."

"We have planned this work to deliver the maximum benefit for road users in the long term.

"We encourage all road users to properly plan their journeys and check all traffic and weather information before setting out.

"As we will be working in phases, it will be important for road users to make sure they have the latest information so they know what to expect before setting out."