Walsall drivers warned to stand by for chaos as works start

Major carriageway works could cause chaos for motorists trying to get through the centre of Walsall every weekday evening for the next week and into next week.

Resurfacing works will start at 7pm tonight on Caldmore Road, Vicarage Place, Lower Hall Lane, Mountrath Street, Upper Hall Lane and Dudley Street.

Those roads will be closed while works take place to ensure the safety of workers, motorists and pedestrians, Walsall Council has said.

They will be closed between 7pm and 6am from tonight until Saturday morning and then again on July 18.

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Walsall Council officers have said the impact most likely to be felt by the public will be the closure of both of the roads between Wednesbury Road and Lower Rushall Street, but added it is hoped that this initial work is finished by next Monday night, July 18.

There will still be access kept between Bradford Street and Wednesbury Road – but there will be no route to Vicarage Place or to Caldmore Road from Bradford Street.

On what Walsall Council is calling the eastern side of the project area, motorists and other traffic using Town Hill will be able to access Bath Street and George Street.

People driving into George Street's Asda supermarket from Town Hill will be able to drive onto Bath Street and George Street – but only those two roads.

The right turn from Dudley Street will still be open during the works. But all traffic from George Street will turn left onto Dudley Street. Lower Hall Lane will be closed at the junction for Caldmore Road and Upper Hall Lane.

There will be signed diversion routes in operation for other affected roads.

They will use Wednesbury Road, Corporation Street, West Bromwich Street, Weston Street, A4148 Broadway, Birmingham Road, Springhill Road, Ablewell Street, Town Hill, Upper Rushall Street, Peal Street and Dudley Street.

Town Hill will not be used for southwest bound diverted traffic flows. Access to adjacent properties will be maintained wherever it is safe and possible to do so, Walsall Council has said.

All businesses within the affected area will be open and trading as usual.

Councillor Aftab Nawaz, who represents the St Matthews ward which is affected by the works on Walsall Council, said: "It is obviously going to have an effect on the current situation but I am sure it's there to improve it.

Getting from one side of Walsall to another is very difficult, sometimes for parents who need to get from one school on one side of Walsall to another.

"In the long term it will be better for the flow of traffic but it is like running water. You fix one area and it flows somewhere else."

Fellow St Matthews councillor Eileen Russell said she also thought the roadworks were unfortunately necessary in people wanted long term improvements running through the town.

She said: "They're bound to affect the traffic through the town centre. That area is subject to change anyway at the moment for the need to make it more pedestrian friendly because people seem to have forgotten that people have the right of way to walk about in safety.

"I think the object [of the work] is to make this one way system in Caldmore work. So it's suffering a bit for an improvement, having suffering to make it better."

All-day roadworks will also start today on Railway Lane in Willenhall.

The works, between Dimminsdale and Eastacre, are being carried out by Morgan Sindall on behalf of Western Power Distribution.

They will last until July 22.