People travelling in the West Midlands are being advised to plan ahead and allow more time for their journeys due to works taking place this weekend. 

The M42 will be closed between junctions 6 and 7A (northbound) and junctions 7 and 6 (southbound) after the evening peak on Friday 7 August 2020, and reopen before the morning peak travel period on Monday 10 August 2020 to allow HS2 to install a new bridge over the motorway. 

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), which is part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), is advising road users:

• A signed diversion will be in place in both directions from J6 to J9 of the M42 and you should leave extra time for your journeys to travel this diversion
• If travelling North or South between the M6/M40 consider travelling via the M5
• If you are travelling to Birmingham Airport or the NEC from the M6 you will need to use M6 J4 and follow the diversion route to M42 J6. Allow extra time for all journeys
• If you travel between Birmingham and Coventry via the A45 or the A452 then look for alternative routes and leave extra time
• Travel around Solihull, Marston Green and the surrounding areas may be busier than normal. Plan ahead using apps and journey planners. 

Further works begin around the busy M6 Junction 10 and the Black Country Route, which will see overnight closures between 9pm and 6am across the weekend.

People are advised:

• There will be no access to M6 J10 from the Black Country Route
• To leave or access the motorway overnight use M6 J9 or consider using the A41 to M5 J1
• If you travel between Walsall and Wolverhampton plan alternative routes on a sat nav or apps such as Google Maps or Waze
• Allow extra time for all journeys

Anne Shaw, director of Network Resilience at TfWM, said: “We want to make it as easy as possible for people to continue to get to where they need to while these essential works are being carried out and we are committed to keeping people moving by working with Highways England, Walsall Council and HS2 to keep people informed.

“With sunny weather expected across this weekend more people may travel longer distances, so we are encouraging everyone to check their route before you travel and leave more time for your journey.”

To stay up to date with the latest travel advice visit www.wmnetwork.co.uk/keepmoving or follow @WMRoads on Twitter