WORK to improve a busy junction on the M5 near Birmingham starts next week.

The £11million scheme will involve widening the roundabout at junction 4 – Lydiate Ash – and improving both exit slip roads and will require changes to the road layout and temporary speed limits.

Two existing bridges across the M5 will be widened as part of the scheme, which starts next Friday, July 11 and will take until Spring next year to complete.

The M5 will be reduced to three narrow lanes where it approaches junction 4 and two lanes through the junction. At various points there will be speed limits of 50mph and 40mph.

The roundabout will remain fully open to traffic between 6am and 7.30pm each day for most of the work.

Some night closures of the M5 through the junction will be required.

The work is being carried out as part of the government’s £317 million pinch point programme, which aims to boost local economies by reducing congestion and delays at key locations.

Visit www.highways.gov.uk for more information.