Next step in major scheme to cut congestion on one of Wolverhampton's busiest routes to go before planners

Wolverhampton Council is planning to overhaul the “severely congested” Willenhall Road and Neachells Lane junction with new and widened roads including new paths and cycle routes.

The work includes a new northbound slip road onto Neachells Lane from Willenhall Road, a new link road between the existing petrol station and the Travis Perkins depot on Neachells Lane, new cycleways and footpaths, as well as public realm improvements including more trees, upgraded hard surfacing and boundary treatments.

The local authority’s planning committee meets in Wolverhampton on November 11 to decide on the project.

The work would not begin until 2031 at the earliest and would take around two years to complete, the council said.

The earlier phases of the work – which includesmaking the nearby Walsall Street and Horseley Fields one-way – have already been approved and are expected to start in mid-2027.

The A454 Willenhall Road ‘corridor’ connects Wolverhampton city centre with homes and businesses in Willenhall, Darlaston, Wednesbury and Bilston as well as access to the M6.

It has also been earmarked as a key area for regeneration and development opportunities.

The council said the work would help tackle “long-standing” issues such as congestion, poor air quality, noise pollution and “inadequate” walking and cycling paths.

The ‘corridor’ suffers from “severe congestion and extensive queuing,” the council said, and “widely varying journey times for all route users, particularly in the peak periods".

“This junction is a long-standing pinch point, with delays and poor performance across all arms threatening to undermine the benefits of the wider scheme,” it added in the planning report. “Its improvement is of strategic importance to the whole scheme.”

The work for the proposed northbound slip road, active travel routes and public realm improvements would require land from the former Neachells pub, which was demolished a decade ago, and land next to a home in the adjoining Rose Gardens off Neachells Lane which were built in 2019. The council said it would be using compulsory purchase orders (CPOs) to secure the land if required.

Two homes in Neachells Lane would also need to be demolished to make way for the new link road as well as land from the Travis Perkins depot, petrol station and the rear gardens of adjoining homes in Willenhall Road.

Other council plans include making Walsall Street and Lower Walsall Street one-way from Willenhall Road to accommodate westbound traffic.

Eastbound traffic would use the existing route to Wilenhall Road via Horseley Fields and Lower Horseley Fields.

Earlier this year, Wolverhampton Council approved plans to build a huge £45 million warehouse off the busy Willenhall Road junction.

The distribution includes offices, more than 300 parking spaces and 60 lorry parking bays and a new entrance for lorries and cars off Neachells Lane.

Local councillors had spoken out against the plan saying traffic and congestion were “already a nightmare” in the area.