Main contractor for the scheme is Skanska, which signed a £143m construction contract with Highways England in January 2020.
Construction is set to begin later this year, with completion set for 2024.
The project will see a comprehensive upgrade of Junction 6 of the M42 near Solihull to allow better movement of traffic on and off the A45, supporting access to Birmingham airport and preparing capacity for the planned HS2 railway station.
Skanska won the role through the Highways England regional delivery partnership (RDP), for which it is a delivery integration partner for the east of England and midlands regions. Consulting engineer is Mott MacDonald.
The works include the construction of a new dual carriageway link between the Clock Interchange and a new junction on the M42 north of the Solihull Road allowing traffic travelling northbound to exit the M42 and traffic travelling southbound to join the M42.
Improvements will also be included on the southeast side of the M42 junction 6, the A45 westbound (east of the M42 junction 6) and the M42 junction 6 southbound slip roads.
The planning application was submitted to the Planning Inspectorate in January 2019. After all due processes, a recommendation for approval was submitted to the secretary of state for transport in February 2020.
Planning Inspectorate chief executive Sarah Richards said: “This is the 85th nationally significant infrastructure project to have been examined and decided within the timescales laid down in the Planning Act 2008. The Planning Inspectorate is committed to giving local communities the opportunity of being involved in the examination of projects that may affect them. Local people, the local authority and other interested parties were able to participate in a 6-month long examination. The examining authority listened and gave full consideration to local views before making their recommendation.”
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