Notice of temporary contraflow, northbound carriageway, A452 Kenilworth Road Solihull
Work item: HS2-BBV-26-1884
Work Item Summary
- Project Phase
- Phase 1
- Region
- Solihull
- Location
- A452
- Worksite Name
- A452 Kenilworth Road
- Contractor
- BBV JV
- Type of works
- Temporary contraflow
- Estimated Start Date
- 19/05/2026
- Estimated End Date
- 19/07/2026
What we are doing
Location
A452 Kenilworth Road, Solihull
Duration
From Tuesday 19 May 2026 to Monday 6 July 2026
What we are doing
We will be installing a contraflow onto the northbound carriageway of the A452. The contraflow will be in place for six weeks so we can complete highway realignment works, build the new roundabout and temporary access points to Mercote Mill Farm and Marsh Farm ‘The Nook’ off the southbound carriageway.
An artist’s impression of the new A452 road layout.
Animated video showing the contraflow in operation
Additional information
A 30mph speed restriction will be in place. Motorists will experience disruption to travel times. Access points to businesses and properties along the northbound carriageway will remain open. Access points to Mercote Mill Farm and Marsh Farm ‘The Nook’ will be fully signposted on the A452. A small number of temporary closures will be required as we switch the traffic into contraflow.
HS2 is undergoing a comprehensive reset to ensure it can be built efficiently and for the lowest reasonable cost. This work is being carried out in stages and will be completed in 2026. We will provide you with updates on the reset and what this means for our plans to build the railway in your area.
We are progressing our construction works on the new A452 Kenilworth Road in Solihull. The existing road is being realigned and raised by over 13 metres to pass over the railway.
Construction works on the new 185-metre ‘box’ bridge structure through which the trains will travel, commenced in spring 2023 and was successfully completed in August 2024. We are now progressing construction of the new road realignment which is expected to open in summer 2027.
We are also building a new roundabout that will provide an access to the Lincoln Farm Truck Stop on the northbound carriageway plus Mercote Mill Farm and the Marsh Farm “The Nook” on the southbound carriageway.
As part of these works, we will be completing extensive earthworks, diverting multiple utilities and realigning Hornbrook and Bayley’s Brook.
In order to minimise disruption to the local community and road users we have been able to complete the majority of our works offline. The existing A452 has remained open to traffic with a single lane closure in place since early 2025.
Contraflow
As part of the next phase of construction, we will be installing a contraflow onto the northbound carriageway of the A452. The contraflow will be in place until Monday 6 July 2026. This is so we can complete highway works, a section of the new roundabout and construct the temporary accesses to Mercote Mill Farm and Marsh Farm “The Nook”.
When these works are complete, we will switch the contraflow onto the southbound carriageway of the A452 whilst we complete the new roundabout, highway realignment and the accesses for the Lincoln Farm Truck Stop and properties on Marsh Lane. The contraflow will be in place for approximately nine months until we open the new road in summer 2027.
We will require a small number of temporary closures as we switch the traffic into contraflows. Throughout the works we will continue to keep communities up to date via updates to this webpage.
Traffic management on the A452 in detail
From Tuesday 19 May until Monday 6 July 2026 we will be installing a contraflow on the northbound carriageway of the A452.
From Tuesday 19 May at Meriden roundabout, southbound traffic will cross into lane 2 of the northbound carriageway until the INEOS roundabout, lasting six weeks.
During this time vehicles travelling to and from Mercote Mill Farm and Marsh Farm “The Nook” will only be able to do when travelling in a southbound direction.
Vehicles travelling to Mercote Mill Farm will leave the A452 via a temporary egress point and follow a fully signposted route. Vehicles joining the A452 from Mercote Hill Farm will join at the same temporary egress point.
Vehicles traveling to Marsh Farm, “The Nook” will leave at the same location as previously using a new temporary egress point. Vehicles joining the A452 from Marsh Farm, “The Nook” will do so in a southbound direction only at the same location.
From Monday 6 July 2026 southbound traffic will transfer into lane one on the new realigned A452. Northbound traffic will transfer into lane two of the realigned A452 just after the INEOS roundabout and cross back into the northbound carriageway of the A452 on the approach to the Meriden roundabout.
For more information about our work in Solihull, please view our latest newsletter.
If you have any questions, please contact our community engagement team via [email protected]
Download information relating to these works
Find out more about
If you have a question about HS2 or our works, please contact our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 or email [email protected]