Work to improve traffic flow and air quality in Wordsley is set to continue next month.

The bulk of the work on the High Street (A491) has been completed. Road markings and improvement work on Brierley Hill Road have been completed, with an intense phase of traffic signal replacement and upgrading set to start on Monday 9 March.

The improvements will see the introduction of smart controls which respond to traffic demand in real time. It should improve traffic flow and air quality.

The continuing work will see all the light signals on the junction of Brierley Hill Road and the A491 replaced. Temporary traffic signals will be in operation from Monday 9 March until the end of the month, seven days a week. In order to minimise automation of temporary traffic controls, manual operation of controls will be in place at peak times, seven days a week.

Once this work is complete, a final phase of interlinking signals between the two junctions – Brierley Hill Road and Lawnswood Road/Blandford - will take place to maximise efficiency of traffic flow. Councillor Karen Shakespeare, cabinet member for environmental, highways and street services:

"We began this final phase of work in January, and the improvements to the road surfaces and markings are already clear to see. This next element will allow us to bring in the most up to date and intelligent traffic controls we can.

"It will involve some disruption to motorists, but we hope that they will bear with us while we make these essential improvements and I’d like to thank our residents for their patience during this programme."

The authority was awarded over £1.5m to tackle roadside nitrogen dioxide emissions in April 2019. The grant from the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs and Department for Transport, aims to help reduce vehicle emissions and specifically address two key locations in the borough - the A461 (Castle Gate Island) and A491.

A range of options was considered to reduce air pollution, with a key focus on how to improve traffic flow and clean up emissions from buses. The funds have been used to provide new traffic signalling technology which will determine the best traffic signal sequence, provide upgraded “intelligent” pedestrian crossings and will also consider other ways to improve traffic flow such as bus stop placement as well as the introduction of more clean energy buses onto busy routes.