Press release: Highways England begins vital maintenance work on M6

Highways England is beginning structural repairs to damaged concrete and renewing the waterproofing of the elevated road structure on the northbound carriageway around junction 7 for Great Barr.

As part of the work, new expansion joints will also be installed on the carriageway designed to allow movement within the structure and also add further water protection.

Highways England project manager, Jessica Kenny said:

If we don’t act now, water will cause more damage in the structure corroding the steel reinforcement bars and causing further damage to the concrete itself. Therefore, leaving it alone is not an option and it would mean bigger and more disruptive roadworks in future.

The work, starting on 20 February, is part of Highways England’s plan to build a modern and resilient road network. It forms part of an investment programme over the next five years and this latest work is part of a series of essential bridge maintenance schemes across the region.

It has been designed to be completed before a similar but much larger scheme gets under way on the M5 junction 1 to 2 Oldbury viaduct.

Highways England plans to complete the work on the M6 within seven weeks with three narrow lanes introduced during the weekday to protect the workforce. Both the entry and exit slip road will remain open during the day with some closures in place overnight.

Information on the scheme, including a map of diversion routes and closure details, is available on the Highways England website. Drivers can get live traffic updates on the Traffic England website or by following @HighwaysWMIDS on Twitter.

The Highways England Customer Contact Centre is also available 24-hours-a-day on 0300 123 5000.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.