Brand new road fully opened as M42 improvements scheme reaches final stages

A brand-new A road is now fully open and helping tackle congestion as a major improvements scheme on the M42 moves into the final stretch.

The A4545 dual carriageway links the newly built junction 5a on the M42 with Clock Interchange roundabout – providing people with direct access from the M42 to Birmingham Business Park, Birmingham Airport and the A45 to Birmingham, whilst also acting as an alternative route into the National Exhibition Centre.

Removal of the traffic management this morning also sees the opening of the dedicated slip road off the A4545 into Birmingham Airport.

The 2.4km stretch initially opened with one lane running in both directions at the end of last year but now permanent traffic management has been removed, and the road is fully up and running helping to relieve traffic congestion at junction 6 and poor journey reliability in the area.

With work due to complete on the M42 Junction 6 scheme this winter, National Highways has revealed that by combining works along the corridor it has been able to avoid 8,892 hours of closures, saving the taxpayer over £650,000 and preventing 1,072 tonnes of carbon emissions.

So far, HS2 works, utility company work and National Highways maintenance and survey schemes have been completed during the M42 closures and project teams working in the area continue to identify opportunities to reduce disruption and save money.

 National Highways Project Manager on the M42 Junction 6 scheme, Adam Gallis said,

 “We’re delighted to fully open the A4545 and enable drivers to enjoy the benefits of this brand-new road.

“We appreciate the frustrations that roadworks can cause and we’re extremely grateful to the local community for their patience and will continue to listen to people’s concerns and act on them where appropriate.”

National Highways has also invested in a number of community projects as part of the scheme, including a new accessible clubhouse and two brand new pitches, one state-of-the-art all-weather pitch and one natural grass pitch for Páirc na hÉireann, the principal Gaelic sports facility in the West Midlands managed by the Warwickshire Gaelic Athletic Association (WGAA).

National Highways and M42 Junction 6 Delivery Integration Partner Skanska have worked together to deliver the new facilities partly through Designated Funding, which is designed to give extra value to the communities near to National Highways’ roads and allow schemes to leave a lasting legacy once road improvements have finished.

The facilities will be used to primarily host Gaelic Football and Hurling matches involving male and female clubs and university teams from across the country, but as part of the agreement with the WGAA, the facilities will also be able to be used by the local community.

Adam Gallis added,

Adam Gallis added: “To be able to leave behind such a positive legacy on top of the benefits we have delivered to the road network really is fantastic. Our nationally significant schemes mean we can spend years working alongside local communities and this is a great example of how we wish to engage throughout the duration of the works and beyond.”

Other social value initiatives untaken as part of the scheme included volunteering at the Saxon Court Elderly Care Home, the donation of pipes to Kingshurst Primary School for their forest school garden and career engagement events at various secondary schools.