Black Country Route

The Black Country Route is a road in the West Midlands region of England.

The plans for a motorway were first drawn up in 1962 to ease congestion in the Black Country towns of Bilston and Willenhall, as well as giving the residents of Dudley, Coseley and Sedgley a more direct link with the M6 motorway. The route was due for completion by 1976, however financial difficulties which included problems with funding resulted in the plans being shelved.

However, the Black Country Route project was revived in the early 1980s, with congestion in the surrounding area gradually worsening. The first phase - between the Birmingham New Road and Bilston town centre - was opened in 1986, passing over land previously occupied by a giant steelworks. The new road opened up previously inaccessible land for commercial use, and B&Q soon opened a superstore on the route.

culptures en route

At various points along the Black Country Route some large sculptures can be seen. Some are very large and located in the roundabouts. A good example of one of the smaller well-hidden ones is the group of wooden statues designed by Robert Koenig and called "Steel Columns." "This sculpture was made from 15 lengths of sweet chestnut which stretch up to 6 metres in height. The male and female figures depicted are based on those found in old Victorian photographs of Bilston. The title ‘Steel Columns’ is a reference to Bilston’s steel making background and the connection the figures had with this history." [ [http://www.bilstonregeneration.co.uk/downloads/scupturetrail.pdf Wolverhampton Council, "Black Country Route Sculptures"] ]

An example of one of the larger works is the tapering steel column designed by Eillis O’Connel and called "Tower of Light." It "is a futuristic design which comprises a spectacular tower of stainless steel mesh, interwoven with fibre optic cables that light up at night and a translucent blue resin casting at the apex." [ [http://www.bilstonregeneration.co.uk/downloads/scupturetrail.pdf Wolverhampton Council, "Black Country Route Sculptures"] ]

Route completion

The second phase of the road was completed in 1991, cutting through Bilston town centre and linking up with the A41.

Completion of the Black Country Route was finally completed in the summer of 1995 when the dual carriageway between Bilston town centre and junction 10 of the M6 was opened. Its completion coincided with the completion of another substantial road project - the Black Country New Road - which linked Bilston with West Bromwich.

The building of the route has been criticised for reaching maximum vehicle capacity within weeks of opening, especially in the area East bound towards junction 10 of the M6 motorway, which often experiences severe tailbacking in rush hour periods. Due to financial cut backs over the many intervening years of planning, the route was also downgraded with many surface level roundabouts around the town of Bilston, thus hardly alleviating any of the traffic congestion that the original split level junctions were designed to help avoid. Traffic signal systems have also been installed for one Bilston roundabout with more planned due to the overwhelming traffic around the town, thus adding to the congestion problems that are particularly problematic at rush hour periods.

References

External links

* [http://pathetic.org.uk/unbuilt/bilston_link_motorway/ Pathetic Motorways - Bilston Link Motorway]