New speed limit to stop short-cuts during Dudley roadworks
Traffic calming measures will be added to roads on an estate in a bid to ease fears of them being used as a short-cut during a major roadworks scheme.
Speed humps will be installed and the speed limit cut to 20mph on five roads off A4101 High Street in Pensnett, Dudley, after residents feared they would have to put up with traffic trying to escape roadworks misery.
A £6.3 million scheme is under way, which will see two new sets of traffic lights put up on High Street, at the junctions with High Oak and Tansey Green Road, to ease congestion and make it safer for turning traffic.
High Street will also be widened for two lanes to be introduced in both directions at the new traffic lights, while there will also be additional pedestrian crossings.
Residents living in Birds Meadow, Byrchen Moor Gardens, Corbyns Hall Lane, Corbyns Close and Woodfield Avenue were concerned traffic would come past their homes to try and get around delays. The road is used by 30,000 vehicles a day.
The work is expected to be completed next summer.
Councillor Karen Shakespeare, environmental services boss at Dudley Council, said: “During the consultation phase a number of residents raised concerns that the Pensnett scheme would have a knock on effect of traffic diverting down their roads.
“We’ve listened to them and introduced these measures to ease congestion.”
The scheme will also result in Bradley Street being closed to through traffic to improve visibility and safety for drivers and pedestrians.
Motorists will also only be able to turn left out of Birds Meadow and Tansey Green Road.
Several empty buildings at Bradley Street and High Oak will be bulldozed to allow the road to be widened. Lane closures and restrictions will be in place on the road during various points of the project.
It is the latest major roadworks scheme in the Dudley borough following a £250,000 project on High Street, Amblecote, Stourbridge to install traffic lights and improve pedestrian crossings.
