Completion of Pensnett highway scheme brings significant safety and journey improvements

Fitzgerald Contractors are proud to have successfully completed a major highway improvement scheme at A4101 Pensnett High Street, West Midlands, which will reduce delays and congestion, improve pedestrian links and safety, as well as increase visibility and capacity at junction approaches.

The £2.4M scheme began in May last year and was delivered on behalf of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council through the Black Country Framework for Minor Works. The scope of works involved the installation of new traffic lights on the High Street at the Tansey Green Road junction and High Oak junction, as well as road widening along the High Street to allow for the introduction of two lanes in both directions at the new traffic lights.

The works were carried out in a live environment with high traffic volumes of up to 30,000 vehicles daily, presenting significant logistical and engineering challenges which were identified at preconstruction stage as being critical to the successful delivery of the scheme.

Early planning centred upon the extensive traffic and pedestrian management requirements as well as the safe and efficient programming of works. This involved coordinating and diverting existing utility services which resulted in Fitzgerald managing all utility providers, ensuring that we mitigated any potential disruption and delay to the works. Fitzgerald carried out as much works offline as possible, introducing 3-way temporary traffic signals as well as 1-way signals on Tansey Green Road.

Fitzgerald Contractors Managing Director Nick Coley said: ‘’Our planning brought significant de-risking of the project duration through the decision to bring work activities forward in the programme, as a result we carried out highway works concurrently alongside the relocation of existing statutory utilities, from this we could bring programme and cost certainty for the client’’.

Fitzgerald Contractors Site Manager Ed Reilly commented: “The scheme was carried out in a live environment with up to 30,000 vehicles passing through our works on the High Street every day, so overcoming the logistical and engineering challenges was vital – massive credit must go to the site team and head office support for a job well done.”