Cash pledge on £27m underpass

A long-awaited project for a £27.5 million underpass to ease traffic congestion in West Bromwich was back on track today after government transport chiefs promised to fund it.

The Department for Transport has agreed to provide £22.6 million towards the A41 Expressway tunnel. More than £11 million will also be spent overhauling the Black Country town's road network as part of a £200 million regeneration scheme.

At the start of the year the tunnel project was put back from starting in November this year to May 2010 after costs rose by £2.5 million.

Transport minister Sadiq Khan today backed the scheme.

Altogether, more than £154 million has been set aside for schemes across the region, subject to planning permission and business cases being accepted.

Funding of £25 million is also available towards a £70 million extension of Metro trams into Birmingham city centre, connecting Snow Hill station with New Street station.

A further £30 million goes towards an extension of the Metro in Wolverhampton city centre.

No announcement has been made about the proposed £284 million second Metro line from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill because the massive project is not expected to start before 2014.

The £27.5 million All Saints Way interchange project in West Bromwich, due to be completed in two years' time, will see a dual carriageway constructed beneath a roundabout at the junction of the A41 Expressway and A4031 All Saints Way.

Also approved today was a further £4.8 million towards the ongoing work to build a £22 million tunnel under the Wolverhampton to Birmingham main rail line in Owen Street, Tipton.

Sandwell Council's, cabinet member for regeneration, Councillor Bob Badham, said today: "This is excellent news for Sandwell.

"This means we can carry on with major projects and complete them."