Ring road leaflet drive launched as progress on track

Date Published : 20 October 2008

A major drive is set to be launched to keep people in the picture over progress on a £17 million road scheme.

More than 10,000 leaflets have been printed to keep shoppers, traders and town centre workers in the picture over how the Walsall ring road is shaping up.

The project will be substantively finished by contractors Norwest Holst before Christmas with 12 key landmarks completed with the final one being completed in the New Year.

Councillor Anthony Harris, Walsall Council cabinet member for highways, said: “This is shaping up to be a real early Christmas present to the people of Walsall. It’s an astounding feat of engineering to overcome a series of incredibly difficult obstacles to create a brand new road that will help bring the best part of a billion pounds of investment into the borough.

“Let’s not forget that our contractors have had to overcome one of the wettest summers on record as well as the discovery of countless unknown and uncharted underground pipes and cables that have caused chaos at times with their plans.

“Through it all we’ve met with traders regularly and one of the things they’ve asked for are information leaflets that charts the progress they know we are making.

“With the final countdown to the road’s completion mapped out, on track and now well under way we’re happy to produce these leaflets that will be a real help to shoppers, businesses and everyone travelling in and around Walsall.

“Let’s not forget that this is a road that will help ease congestion and will bring prosperity to the town and we thank people for their patience.”

Landmarks already reached on the ringroad include the opening of the Arboretum junction in July and the completing of paving for the start of the Illuminations in September.

The Littleton Street railway bridge has also opened to traffic in August creating another landmark.

By the end of November, a hatrick of achievements are set to follow with the completion of the Wisemore and Littleton Street West junction as well as the new Walsall College entrance in Littleton Street West.

The completion of the Hatherton Street and Littleton Street West junction completes the trio of landmarks.

In early December, the dual carriageway is due to be complete for Littleton Street East and West.

By mid-December the Blue Lane West and Green Lane to Court Way dual carriageway is set to finish along with the Stafford Street and Green Lane junctions.

Also in mid-December, Pleck Road, Bridgeman Street and Moat Road junction will finish with the Pleck Road temporary one-way system to be removed with Ida Road returning to two way traffic.

The Pleck Road, Rollingmill Street and Ida Road junction is due to open in mid-December with the Pleck Road dual carriageway to be completed.

At the Pleck Road, Wolverhampton Road and Hollyhedge Lane junction which has been hampered by underground gas main delays the scheme will be 75 per cent complete by early November with the new junction operational in late January and entirely finished in February.

The leaflets are being distributed with the help of the Walsall Town Centre Partnership and are to be made available at the First Stop shop in Darwall as well as Walsall Council House, Lichfield Street and libraries across the borough.