Emergency repair work to close M54 eastbound over the weekend

The M54 eastbound between junction 3 (Cosford) and junction 2 (i-54 site and Coven Island) will be closed over the weekend as Highways England continues to repair damaged concrete slabs in the carriageway.

Problems were discovered last week - and engineers have been working round the clock to fix the damaged concrete since.

There have been a handful of overnight closures between junctions 3 and 2 this week, with limited lanes during the day time.

Highways England will now need to close the eastbound carriageway between junctions 3 and 2 completely over the weekend to get the majority of work done.

The closure will start at 8pm on Friday. It is hoped this section will be reopened by Monday morning – however, the repairs may take longer if the weather is particularly bad.

“We’ve been working all hours to try to get this fixed,” explained Ian Askew, asset development team leader at Highways England. “The overnight shifts this week have helped us get a lot of work done, but unfortunately, we need to keep this section closed over the weekend to get the work done.”

The overnight closure starts tonight at 8pm and will run until Monday. The closure will affect the eastbound M54 carriageway between junction 3 and 2.

Drivers using the M54 eastbound over the weekend are being warned to expect delays, and are being urged to allow extra time for their journeys.

The diversion for overnight eastbound closures is via the A41 northbound, the A5 eastbound towards Weston-under-Lizard, and the Stafford Road southbound towards the M54 to rejoin at junction 2.
For the diversion route from junction 3, drivers should follow the Solid Black Square symbol.

Traffic is advised to leave the M54 eastbound at junction 3, taking the A41 northbound to the junction with the A5 near Burlington, then onto the A5 eastbound to the Gailey roundabout, where drivers can then take the A449 southbound to re-join the M54 at J2.

Drivers who arrive at the Gailey roundabout (A5/A449) junction, intending to take the M6 northbound, may continue eastbound on the A5 which will take them to the M6 J12 near Cannock.