Roadworks in place to Merry Hill for long-awaited multi-million pound tram extension

The preliminary work is for the £295 million second phase of the West Midlands Metro tram extension which will link Brierley Hill to the new Dudley Interchange under a major infrastructure development.  

The track will run from Dudley town centre to the Merry Hill via the Waterfront office park as part of a strategy to boost Dudley's economic prospects. 

Crews, traffic cones and digging machines can be seen on the main roads in the area including along The Embankment near the shopping centre and The Waterfront for work to build a temporary roundabout in Level Street which has resulted in lane closures.

Under the wider scheme the Department of Transport is anticipating that passengers are set to benefit from journey time savings of up to 30 per cent compared with taking the bus in the long term. 

The first phase of the metro extension work which has seen the line installed between Wednesbury and Dudley town centre is due to open by the end of this year, some 12 months later than originally planned. 

The new lines will link up to the existing Wolverhampton-Birmingham line at a new junction created at Wednesbury opening up routes and services to and from the heart of the Black Country to more commuters and shoppers.

The initiative has so far involved a revamp of the West Midlands Metro depot in Potters Lane, Wednesbury, at a cost of £43m to cater for more trams as the fleet is set to more than double in size to 46, with new carriages needed to run on the extension lines including the improved Wolverhampton city centre line which now terminates at the railway station in Railway Drive.

The Government-funded development also includes extended and updated workshop and maintenance facilities, a tram wash, a new operations centre and expanded staff facilities.

The move also paved the way for up to 150 new transport jobs as a result of the expansion of the network and depot.

In July Transport for West Midlands which manages public transport in the region said the long-awaited Wednesbury to Dudley service would be running by the end of the year as construction work on the £393m phase one was nearing completion and the focus  was switching to completing the testing requirements.

The development is being led by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), with work carried out by tram operator Midland Metro Alliance.

A public notice states: "The effect of which is to temporarily prohibit any vehicle proceeding in a southbound direction on Embankment, Brierley Hill from Level Street to Central Way, for the purpose of sheet piling works being carried out on or near the affected road. 

"The order will come into operation on September 22 and will remain in force until October 26 or until the works are completed, whichever is the earlier. 

"The maximum duration of the order is 18 months. Southbound traffic will be diverted via Level Street and Central Way. Access to frontages and for emergency vehicles will be maintained where safe to do so." 

• You can find out more about planning applications and planned roadworks where you live. Visit publicnoticeportal.uk.