A major half a million pound bus travel improvement scheme and road resurfacing programme at Merry Hill is due to get underway in the New Year – but motorists are being warned to expect delays.

The project includes traffic light improvements and upgrades to bus shelters with the latest digital passenger information. Dudley Council will also be carrying out a major resurfacing programme at the same time which will also mean improvements for all road users.

The council has teamed up with Centro for the work between High Street, Quarry Bank, and Coppice Lane which will start on January 11, 2016, and complete in June.

It will improve journey times for both buses and general traffic travelling to and from Merry Hill, Brierley Hill and the Waterfront.

Councillor Hilary Bills, cabinet member for environmental services, said: “The bus improvement scheme is hugely important and will lead to much better public transport travel for everyone. It’s sensible to carry out the road resurfacing at the same time to keep disruption to a minimum.

“With two big schemes such as these, inevitably there will be some disruption for motorists, but we would ask people to bear with us. When the work is complete there will be benefits for all road users in and around Merry Hill.”

The £565,000 bus travel scheme is jointly funded by Centro, the West Midlands Passenger Transport Executive, Department for Transport ‘Better Bus Area Fund’ grant funding and Dudley Council. The resurfacing will be funded out of the £9million pot the council was awarded through the Department for Transport’s Challenge Fund.

The resurfacing work and traffic signals will be done in phases to keep traffic flowing as much as possible. The work will be carried out at night and restricted hours in the week (9.30am-3.30pm) to minimise disruption.

Phase one will see the resurfacing of the A4036 junction with The Boulevard and Coppice Lane, as far as the Round Oak pub and will start around February 15. Phase two will include resurfacing the A4036 junction with High Street and Mount Pleasant as well as A4100 High Street, Quarry Bank, and will start around the middle of April.

The third and final phase will include a staggered pedestrian crossing outside Round Oak pub, with work running from May 2 to early June. Access to all buildings will be maintained at all times.

The resurfacing of the remaining sections of the A4036 (Thorns Road, Merry Hill and Pedmore Road) would follow once the works to the traffic signals are complete, and is expected around June or July.