M5 viaduct works hit halfway mark

Major work to repair the Oldbury viaduct between Junction 1 and 2 of the M5 has been ongoing for a year and has seen traffic filtered on to one side of the carriageway and the speed limit cut.

Work on the southbound carriageway is nearing completion and in the coming weeks the project will switch to the northbound side.

More than 5,000 separate repairs have been carried out on the southbound carriageway, 3,500 more than anticipated.

The £100 million scheme, which is due to continue until 2019, is believed to be the largest concrete repair job ever carried out in Britain.

Highways England senior project manager, Zbigniew Twarowski, said tough winter conditions which saw the region hit by snowfall on several occasions, added to the challenge.

He said: “The scale of this project is vast and has involved a large number of repairs.

”On top of that we’ve had one of the harshest winters in years, which has added to the challenges.

”We will not know the full extent of the repairs needed on the northbound carriageway until work there is under way."

Drivers have suffered regular disruption as a result of the work which has seen traffic filtered into narrow lanes running in each direction and a 30mph speed limit imposed.

Mr Twarowski said: “We appreciate the level of disruption this project involves and I’d like to thank motorists, businesses and residents for their patience. Meanwhile, our teams are working as hard as they can to get the job done.”

Slip roads at Junctions 1 and 2 have been kept open during the scheme but some closures are planned as part of works starting this weekend.

They will be shut from 8pm tonight until 6am on Monday. During the spring bank holiday weekend, the slip road will close at 10pm on Friday, 25 May and open at 6am Tuesday, 29 May.

Traffic wishing to exit at Junction 2 southbound will be diverted to Junction 3 and then back to Junction 2 where drivers will be able to exit the M5 via the northbound off-slip.