M5 Oldbury viaduct works

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B9127
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by B9127 »

With the roadworks at Oldbury plus the Managed Motorway works on the M6 is it really worthwhile using this section of the Motorway network for the next 2 years or so.
Motorways travelled 2019 - M90 - M9 - M80 - M8 -M77 - M73 -A74(M) -M6-M42-M40 -A404(M) - M4 - M5 -M50 -M56 much better so far than last year
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Steven
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by Steven »

B9127 wrote: Wed Aug 08, 2018 20:54 With the roadworks at Oldbury plus the Managed Motorway works on the M6 is it really worthwhile using this section of the Motorway network for the next 2 years or so.
For some of us, there's no escape unfortunately.
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brummie_rob
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by brummie_rob »

Steven wrote: Wed Aug 08, 2018 21:30
B9127 wrote: Wed Aug 08, 2018 20:54 With the roadworks at Oldbury plus the Managed Motorway works on the M6 is it really worthwhile using this section of the Motorway network for the next 2 years or so.
For some of us, there's no escape unfortunately.
I do M6 J15 to M5 J3 every day so yes sadly so.
brummie_rob
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by brummie_rob »

The big switchover takes place on Saturday this week. I think for a short period this week we'll see traffic on both sides whilst they move the contraflow. All the lanes are painted ready for the switch.
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Norfolktolancashire
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by Norfolktolancashire »

Without tempting fate or whatever, are there anymore of the M6/M5 elevated sections in the West Midlands that haven't been replaced/repaired in the last twenty years?
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by A9NWIL »

Norfolktolancashire wrote: Mon Sep 03, 2018 11:23 Without tempting fate or whatever, are there anymore of the M6/M5 elevated sections in the West Midlands that haven't been replaced/repaired in the last twenty years?
There isnt many other areas of M5 except perhaps the bit that joins the M6. That would be tricky to do though as you cant close one of the M5-M6 or M6 to M5 link roads for months on end!
The only way they could do it is with overnight coursers and do a small section each night then resurface it before morning.
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ais523
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by ais523 »

You could perhaps make use of the infamous "U-turn loop" at M6 J7 as an alternative to sliproads you had to close. It probably wouldn't cope well with a motorway links' worth of traffic on it, but it might work well enough.
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by Big L »

Wasn't the M6 s/b - M5 link done, maybe 3 or 4 years ago, by narrowing it down to 1 lane? There was talk of doing the other side by the same method but it seems to have been a while ago.
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by brummie_rob »

The Southbound is now running on the new side. The joints are much much better now and there feels less of them. However they had applied a layer of grit along the stretch which I presume was to soak up any residual grease so it was a bit 'loose' on the surface this morning.

Northbound will switch over on Saturday, be interesting to see the knock-on at J1 as the slip road is now much shorter to join.
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by A9NWIL »

Google now has the contraflow thats been on the northbound side on satellite view.
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by brummie_rob »

Some people are complaining the surface is quite rough. HE confirm they used HRA on the surface as it is more hardwearing. I thought they had stopped using this?
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Norfolktolancashire
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by Norfolktolancashire »

North and southbound traffic now using the repaired viaduct side, I agree that the new surface is a lot smoother, maybe it is low noise too for the area? There are new lights on the southbound edge too, it's looking like the central reservation ones will be removed once the roadworks are completed.
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by ais523 »

I need to travel from the vicinity of M42 J2 to M54 J1 tomorrow.

Are these roadworks still sufficiently bad that the obvious M42, M5, M6, M54 route is a bad idea? (If so, is it better to aim the "other way" around the Birmingham box, or to do something entirely different?) More generally, what's the situation there like at the moment?
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Big L
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by Big L »

ais523 wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 21:04 I need to travel from the vicinity of M42 J2 to M54 J1 tomorrow.

Are these roadworks still sufficiently bad that the obvious M42, M5, M6, M54 route is a bad idea? (If so, is it better to aim the "other way" around the Birmingham box, or to do something entirely different?) More generally, what's the situation there like at the moment?
Bear in mind West Brom are at home, so anything between say 1.30-3.00 and 4.45-6.00 would be very good times to avoid the area.
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ais523
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by ais523 »

Big L wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 21:25
ais523 wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 21:04 I need to travel from the vicinity of M42 J2 to M54 J1 tomorrow.

Are these roadworks still sufficiently bad that the obvious M42, M5, M6, M54 route is a bad idea? (If so, is it better to aim the "other way" around the Birmingham box, or to do something entirely different?) More generally, what's the situation there like at the moment?
Bear in mind West Brom are at home, so anything between say 1.30-3.00 and 4.45-6.00 would be very good times to avoid the area.
Oh, in that case I should almost certainly try to avoid the area to the east (either going round the Birmingham Box anticlockwise or going through Birmingham). Thanks for the advice!
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by Bryn666 »

Surprised that the lighting is being moved to the nearside parapets - spotted from a train yesterday.

Presumably the 1970s vintage central reserve will be replaced with something substantial once the columns are gone from it.
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Robunos
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by Robunos »

ais523 wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 21:04 I need to travel from the vicinity of M42 J2 to M54 J1 tomorrow.

Are these roadworks still sufficiently bad that the obvious M42, M5, M6, M54 route is a bad idea? (If so, is it better to aim the "other way" around the Birmingham box, or to do something entirely different?) More generally, what's the situation there like at the moment?
I think I would go M42 > M5 to J3, then A456 towards Birmingham > A4123 past Oldbury and Dudley up to Bilston, then A463 / A454 Black Country Route to M6 J10, the M6 > M54 . . .
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by Steven »

ais523 wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 21:04 I need to travel from the vicinity of M42 J2 to M54 J1 tomorrow.
Going to the M54 - M6 - M6 Toll Link public exhibition in Essington by any chance? If so, I'm sure there might well be other SABRE members there... :wink:
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ais523
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by ais523 »

Steven wrote: Sat Oct 06, 2018 08:38
ais523 wrote: Fri Oct 05, 2018 21:04 I need to travel from the vicinity of M42 J2 to M54 J1 tomorrow.
Going to the M54 - M6 - M6 Toll Link public exhibition in Essington by any chance? If so, I'm sure there might well be other SABRE members there... :wink:
Yes! (I didn't meet any other Sabristi there, but perhaps we arrived at different times.)

I went round the far side of the Birmingham Box, M42 - M6 - M54. It worked fine; possibly some shorter routes could have worked too, but this one is at least fairly reliable.

Interestingly, one of the computer-recommended routes was M42 - M6 Toll, followed by struggling around on back roads due to the lack of a link to the M54.
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Re: M5 Oldbury viaduct works

Post by brummie_rob »

The lane restriction at J4A has now been removed and the 50mph lead in zone extended down to Frankly Services to help stem the flow before the lane drop at J3. This may actually help the flow up the hill from J3 which has struggled in peak usually as it was two lanes with a 70mph speed limit and would clog up quickly.
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