New £65k footbridge in West Bromwich is ready to open again
It was closed last year after being struck by a lorry, but now this new-look footbridge over the busy A41 in West Bromwich is ready to re-open after £65,000 of repairs.
And the footbridge will be higher than normal in a bid to avoid any future accidents, council bosses have said.
Workmen replaced the middle section of the bridge on the A41 Birmingham Road at the weekend.
Huge cranes positioned the bridge in place with added structural support around the stairways after it was delivered on a low loader.
It was kept in design with the previous bridge, with blue railings and triangle pattern on the exterior.
The footbridge will re-open to pedestrians by October 2.
Sandwell Council's cabinet member for highways and environment, Councillor Maria Crompton, said: "We had to close the footbridge last year after it was hit by a large vehicle, causing damage which meant it wasn't safe for the public to use.
"In fact, it is the second time it has been hit in recent years.
"Following detailed site investigations, we took the decision to replace the entire deck and in the process we have made the bridge higher to avoid future accidents.
"We're just finishing work on the deck now," she said.
Twelve workers were on site at the weekend to help put the bridge in position.
Six of those were from bridge building service, Beaver Bridges, based in Shrewsbury.
Henry Beaver, director, said: "It went really well and we successfully completed it ahead of schedule.
"We were extremely pleased that everything went exactly to plan and the bridge looks great and can get good use from the public again."
Traffic was diverted down Halfords Lane, Dartmouth Road and Kelvin Way while work took place.
The bridge offers the public a safer route across the traffic heavy road to Dartmouth Cricket Club and the Hawthorns.
The work was funded via Sandwell Council's bridge maintenance budget.
