Express & Star

Work on M54 and M6 link road to start within months with first steps announced

The first work on a £200 million link road linking the M54 and M6 will start within months.

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The new road will link the M54 and M6 to the north

Temporary fencing, vegetation clearance and the construction of two works compounds will get under way this year as part of the first steps to construct the new road which will link the M54 Junction 1 and the M6 at Junction 11.

Transport Secretary Grant Shapps granted consent in April for the 1.6-mile road which will be the first to connect the motorway serving Wolverhampton and Shropshire with the M6 to the north, and aims to reduce congestion on local roads especially the A460 and A449.

In its first newsletter about the scheme, National Highways explained what work will be taking place and released an image of how Junction 1 of the M54 will look.

Computer modelled image of how the new M54 Junction 1 will look. Image: National Highways

Two new compounds, needed to manage the project and which will include offices, parking, welfare facilities and storage for equipment and materials, will be built on Mill Lane, close to the M6, and off the A460 in Featherstone.

New access roads to these compounds will also be built.

The agency also says temporary fencing is required to "define and secure the land needed to build the new link road".

The route for the link road was described as the 'worst possible for the environment' when it was signed off in April.

Councillor Dawes told the Express and Star: "I am really disappointed the link road has been given consent. We all know something has to be done but of all the potential routes of the link road this is the one we did not want.

"This new dual-carriageway will be just 40 metres from homes in Hilton and in this time when we all know about the dangers of pollution there must have been a better way.

The road, first announced in 2014, will run through farmland which once belonged to Hilton Hall and includes woods, pools and a rookery which birds return to every year.

In its newsletter National Highways said: "Some of the land is only needed during the construction phase and will be handed back to landowners once the road is complete."

Work to begin removing trees, hedges and bushes will also begin before birds start nesting in spring 2023.

When the road was announced South Staffordshire Councillor for Hilton, Paula Dawes, said "many lovely trees and ancient woodland will be destroyed".

Addressing the removal of trees, National Highways said: "We’re mindful of all ecology, not just birds, and therefore all areas will be inspected by a qualified ecologist before any vegetation is cut down."

Surveys will also be carried out during the second half of 2022, looking for buried utilities such as gas and water pipes.

Looking further ahead, National Highways has also said Junction 1 of the M54 will be closed for two weeks in 2024.