Early signs of progress emerge on West Midlands Interchange as major A5 roundabout works begin

Motorists travelling through Gailey are being advised to plan ahead as the first visible stages of the long-awaited West Midlands Interchange development gather pace.

Construction is now underway on a new access roundabout on the A5 Watling Street, marking one of the first major highway improvements linked to the nationally significant logistics and rail freight hub.

As part of the works, the A5 between the A449/A5 Gailey Roundabout and M6 Junction 12 will be fully closed overnight from Monday, July 20 until Friday, July 24, with closures in place between 8pm and 6am each night. Signed diversion routes will operate throughout the works, while access for residents and businesses will be maintained.

The new roundabout is designed to provide access to the future West Midlands Interchange site, one of the UK's largest planned rail-served logistics developments. Once completed, the scheme is expected to create thousands of jobs while transferring significant volumes of freight from road to rail, helping reduce lorry movements on the strategic road network.

Although much of the project has so far involved preparatory works away from public view, the construction activity on the A5 represents one of the clearest signs yet that the development is moving into its main delivery phase.

Drivers using the busy A5 corridor are urged to allow extra time for overnight journeys during the closures and follow the signed diversion routes.

The West Midlands Interchange is being developed on land near Gailey, close to Junction 12 of the M6, and has been promoted as a major strategic freight hub serving the West Midlands and beyond. Earlier reports described the scheme as a significant investment in regional infrastructure and logistics capacity.