'Let us sleep' – plea to end M5 works misery
People living close to a motorway say work to repair the highway say their lives are being made a misery by the project.
Highway England have been carrying out the work to repair M5 Oldbury viaduct since April.
The work, which sees the speed limit cut to 30mph on junction 1 for West Bromwich and junction 2 for Oldbury, will continue for 18 months.
Resident Natalie Pearce, aged 41, who has asthma, lives nearby.
Speaking yesterday morning, she said: "We can't literally live all the while they are doing work through morning hours.
"We are saying to them, try and do work in the day time and during the night and early hours of the morning let the residents sleep, give us a break."
Highways England senior project manager, Zbigniew Twarowski, said: “We’re regularly updating local residents about the progress of the scheme and organised a meeting just last week which was well attended.
“We’re listening to residents’ concerns and have assured them that safety is at the heart of everything we do and all activities are being monitored.
“Workers are actively reminded to be considerate in their behaviour, especially as they are working in a residential area.
“We’ve also reviewed the working hours around the scheme, particularly where residential areas are concerned, to try and minimise disruption.”
The agency said the current working hours at the site were from 6am until midnight.
But work near to residents in Birmingham Road and Blakeley Hall Road it is completed by 8pm.
