Work is set to begin on a £1.8 million revamp at a notorious traffic blackspot between Lichfield and Burntwood.
Staffordshire County Council will began work to re-route the Pipe Hill junction between the A5190 Lichfield Road and the A461 Walsall Road on February 8.
The project will see the busy Lichfield Road realigned to meet the Walsall Road 350 metres further north at a brand new roundabout, replacing the existing four way traffic light controlled junction.
As well as being a bottleneck for traffic entering and leaving Lichfield, accidents at the crossroads have caused 18 injuries in the last five years, two of which have been serious. These figures have made redeveloping the junction a priority.
Councillors Terry Finn and Erica Bayliss formally kicked off the scheme with a sod-cutting ceremony.
Cllr Finn said:
“Safety is of paramount priority for the county council and this scheme reflects that view. Pipehill is an extremely busy junction and, with the ever increasing volume of traffic on the roads, we are keen to ensure that the possibility of accidents taking place is minimised.”
Once the new junction is complete the full length of the Lichfield Road from Burntwood to the junction will see a 50mph speed limit imposed.
As well as improving safety, tt is also hoped that the new layout tackling peak time congestion. The area is notorious for morning and evening traffic backups, with commuter traffic flowing from Burntwood, Lichfield and the A5 coming together.
