Cycle lane works cost £5m, figures reveal

The full cost to build a cycle lane linking Walsall with Wolverhampton will be more than £5m, it has been revealed.

Work began on the 1.2km (0.75m) segregated cycleway linking Pinson Road and Rose Hill, in Willenhall, in April - one month after roadworks for the new Willenhall railway station started.

The project, with a bill of £5,037,792, was funded via the Active Travel Fund from the Department for Transport.

Business owners have criticised it, saying they have suffered from the reduced footfall caused by the simultaneous construction work. The council has been asked for a response

The councillor for Willenhall South, Simran Cheema, had called for compensation for firms affected by the roadworks.

The managing director of a solicitors on New Road, Tarik Rashid, said the works "impacted morale" in the town.

While Angling Direct manager, Dan Lee, also on New Road, described the roads as "horrendous".

Shah Ali, the owner of Bengal Relish on Bilston Street, said he did not know how his business "was going to survive".

The new railway station opened earlier this month and the cycle lane was due to be completed by the "end of March at the very latest", according to the project's construction manager.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.

Follow BBC Wolverhampton & Black Country on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.