Bridge beams to help traffic flow

Twelve giant concrete beams, guaranteed to last at least a century, have been laid at a Black Country bottle-neck to support a two lane bridge which will ease traffic jams at the busy spot.

A specialist team used a crane with a 500-tonne capacity to lay the beams which are 72 feet long and weigh 38 tonnes each. Experts worked from 1am on Saturday until 8am yesterday to complete the work at Littleton Street West in Walsall, and the hours were chosen to create as little disruption as possible to drivers.

The beams will eventually carry a two lane bridge which will serve traffic travelling towards Walsall Arboretum.