Works to get underway as part of major £9.7m investment to improve city’s road network

Road improvements are set to begin as part of a £9.7million programme to enhance, maintain and repair Wolverhampton’s highways.

The works including resurfacing and surface treatments aim to tackle potholes and other defects on roads across the city.

The first phase of surface treatment works will begin on Tuesday May 28, including Newhampton Road West and Newhampton Road East, while resurfacing works get started in Dudding Road on June 10. Other works will follow throughout the summer.

It forms part of City of Wolverhampton Council’s Highway Capital Programme, which has a total budget of £9.7million. Included in this is additional funding which has been set aside to tackle potholes affecting the city’s roads.

This additional funding is supporting the city’s existing pothole budget and will ensure repairs are carried out within the council’s set timeframes. Potholes are a priority for the council to manage, and over the past year more than 6,800 have been repaired on routes across the city.

In total, during the past decade, more than 53,000 pothole repairs have been made in Wolverhampton, with 94% of potholes in the city dealt with within the set deadlines.

Councillor Qaiser Azeem, cabinet member for transport and green city at City of Wolverhampton Council, said: “Improving and maintaining our city’s roads is of vital importance to residents and visitors alike, which is why I am so pleased to see the start of works under our £9.7million highways programme.

“By making the most of all available funding, we are improving the condition and safety of our roads, something we know really matters to our residents.

“We follow a prudent and proactive strategy when it comes to identifying roads in need of surface treatments. That way we can prevent roads that are in an otherwise good condition from getting any worse, prolonging the lifecycle of our highways.

“The work which is to get underway in the city is just the start of the improvements that are planned for this year. These improvements will help support our local economy and ensure people stay connected.

“We are aware that potholes are a real bugbear for residents locally, as they are all across the country, and that is something we are determined to tackle.

“The council has made a major investment to improve our roads and make sure we provide a smooth and seamless journey through our city.”

Highway improvements planned for 2024/25 include major maintenance and resurfacing schemes across the city, road safety and traffic management work, upgrading the council’s car park management system, street lighting improvements and the delivery of further Safer Routes to Schools programmes.

There will be improvements to ring road and city centre signage as well as structural reviews and works on a number of city bridges. In addition, there will be the completion of the council’s programme to convert older streetlights to LEDs to reduce carbon emissions. More than 24,550 streetlights have already been converted.

Funding for the council’s 2024/25 Highway Capital Programme has come through external grants and council resources. Since 2020/21, the programme has delivered more than £30million worth of improvement and development work.

Many of the projects have been carried out thanks to the council’s success in bidding for funding through the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).