The Black Country Route is a road in the West Midlands region of England.
The plans for a motorway were drawn up in 1962 to ease congestion in the Black Country towns of Bilston and Willenhall, as well as giving the residents of Dudley, Coseley and Sedgley a more direct link with the new M6 motorway. A town centre by-pass for Bilston, planned to form a spur road to the main route, was given the go-ahead in 1964. By 1968 work had yet to start on any of the route, but it was appearing on maps as a "proposed motorway" and work was expected to start in the early 1970s. However, none of this happened and within a few years the plans were shelved. However, neighbouring Willenhall did gain a dual carriageway southern by-pass, The Keyway, during the 1970s, which would have linked up to the planned motorway and formed an ideal link road to any further "urban motorway".
However, the Black Country Route project was revived in the early 1980s, since the congestion in the surrounding area was gradually worsening. The first phase - between the Birmingham New Road and Bilston town centre - was opened in 1986, passing over land previously occupied by a giant steelworks. The new road opened previously inaccessible land for commercial use, and B&Q soon opened a store on the route.
Read more about Black Country Route: Sculptures En Route, Route Completion
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