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Roadworks to start in £1.6m Wolverhampton streets revamp

Major city centre roadworks are due to start today as part of a £1.6 million roads improvement project.

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Princess Street, Garrick Street and Market Street will be torn up and revamped in a bid to make the city more pedestrian friendly.

The work is set to last more than six months.

Wolverhampton City Council embarked on the two-year project in a bid to attract more visitors and boost investment in the city.

The scheme has caused big disruption in the past with businesses complaining of loss of trade and motorists faced with long delays and diversions.

The latest work will see a section of Princess Street closed, with out-of-hours road closures for Market Street and Garrick Street.

While Princess Street is closed the direction of one-way traffic will be temporarily reversed along the pedestrianised section of Queen Street, King Street and part of Dudley Street.

This is part of a two-year project that has caused considerable disruption in the past with businesses complaining of loss of trade.

Work to upgrade traffic lights at the junction of Market Street and Bilston Street, and the junction of Garrick Street and Snow Hill, is hoped to be carried out before September.

Councillor Peter Bilson, the council's regeneration chief, said: "We have to acknowledge to get those improvements there has to be a degree of disruption.

"We are trying to contain that as much as we can and minimise it so that life goes on and we are still open for business."

He continued: "The city centre improvements play an important part the wider multi-million pound regeneration of Wolverhampton.

"We want to ensure that this city continues to be an attractive place to live, visit and work.

"Enhancing the city centre means we can attract more investment, retain the businesses we have and create more jobs."

"While work is carried out we will need to put temporary road closures in place and would like to thank people and businesses for bearing with us during this time.

"We have notified businesses to explain the works in detail and reiterate that improvements will support the city centre's vibrancy in the future," he added.

The scheme will see a cut in the number of cars driving around the city's main shopping areas.

Councillor Bilson concluded that the aim was to make Wolverhampton an 'all form of transport accessible city,' making it safe and easy to get around for pedestrians, motorists, the disabled, and public transport users.

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