Part of busy road to close as bridge for Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro route installed
Part of a busy Black Country road will soon close as work to install a purpose-built bridge for the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro route gets under way.
A section of Sedgley Road East in Tipton will close from October 24 until mid-December. Those using the road over the autumn are being asked to leave more time for their journeys and to follow clearly signed diversion routes.
Public transport users are also being advised that bus services in the area may run on amended routes and they should check their operator’s website before they travel.
Pedestrian diversions will be in place as footpaths beneath the structure are temporarily closed. It is anticipated that the closures will be lifted by mid-December.
The Midland Metro Alliance has worked closely with Sandwell Council and Transport for West Midlands to notify residents, businesses and organisations directly impacted by the localised closure, sharing tips on how they can avoid disruption by using travel planning information.
Tom Maplethorpe, project director at the Midland Metro Alliance, which is designing and building the route on behalf of TfWM, said: “The works to install the new bridge follow activity in the summer of 2020 to remove the old structure over Sedgley Road along with subsequent offline works to facilitate the new structure. We’re pleased that those living close by will be able to witness this exciting step forward in this project as one of the final new structures for phase one of this route is installed.”
During the autumn works on Sedgley Road East, people will be able to complete their journeys following a short and clearly signed diversion route.
Mark Corbin, director of network resilience at TfWM, said: “The closure will be in place throughout the autumn and during this time delays are possible so we are asking people to consider their journeys wherever they can.”
It comes after Andy Street insisted the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro project was not "in danger" despite a decision to mothball half the line.
The West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) announced in July the 6.8-mile route will be split into two phases after costs increased by 22 per cent to £550million.
It means Wednesbury to Dudley will proceed as planned – albeit at an increased cost of £385m – while the rest of the route to Brierley Hill is put on hold.
But West Midlands Mayor Mr Street insisted it would be delivered in full. He also said work was "well under way" to find the funding necessary to complete the line.
