Plea for £13m to ease Oldbury island jams
A £13 million funding bid has been submitted to transport bosses for work at a traffic island to help ease congestion.
Sandwell Council has requested the money from Black Country Strategic Transport so it can put a road through the middle of Birchley Island in Oldbury.
The island, one of the main gateways into the borough, is next to junction two of the M5, with 92,000 motorists negotiating it each day. Councillors are expected to approve plans to allocate £620,000 if the project gets the go-ahead.
"We have put in a bid for funding, and we expect to hear something in July about what happens next," said Sandwell's finance chief Councillor Steve Eling. "We may be told to clear off or we might get the green light for a full application.
"As part of our application, we have to show what we are prepared to contribute towards the scheme. But if we put time and effort into a plan, I want reasonable assurance we will get the go-ahead." The plans would see the Wolverhampton Road run straight through the island, rather than around the traffic light-controlled junction.
It has previously been reported the scheme could cost up to £20m but an officers' report being considered by councillors said: "A number of options for the Birchley Island scheme are still being evaluated, the most expensive of which is anticipated to cost in the region of £13 million."
Of the £620,000 to be invested by the council, £245,000 would go towards business case preparation, £190,000 towards side roads orders, planning consent and a possible public inquiry, and £185,000 would go towards detailed designs.
The proposals come despite the island being overhauled in a £450,000 revamp three years ago to make it appear more welcoming.
