Birchley Island: Congestion-busting plan for Oldbury island dealt major blow
A multi-million pound scheme to tackle congestion at a notorious roundabout has suffered a major blow after it was revealed it was set to miss out on vital funding.
The Birchley Island in Oldbury would be spilt in two to allow traffic to run through the centre of it, under long-running plans by Sandwell Council to try and solve the congestion nightmare regularly experienced at the roundabout.
But the Black Country Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) - a crucial funding source for the scheme - is not set to award any cash from its Local Growth Fund towards it for at least the next five years.
The LEP has published its spending projections for the next five years on transport projects across the West Midlands, under which it says the Birchley Island scheme would not receive a penny.
Ninder Johal, an LEP board member, suggested other schemes may have been prioritised over the Oldbury project, particularly as it has only been a few years since major work was carried out to transform the Burnt Tree junction at Dudley.
Council bosses are now set to turn to the new West Midlands Combined Authority in the hope of keeping the scheme alive.
Thousands of vehicles pass through the key roundabout every day, which brings together traffic from the M5, Birmingham New Road, Wolverhampton Road and Churchbridge and queues regularly build up.
Sandwell Council leader Steve Eling said he was confident the scheme would eventually go ahead.
He said: "As far as I'm concerned we are still pursuing it. I had discussions with the four Black Country authorities a couple of weeks ago about improving various junctions, not just Oldbury.
"It is a key motorway junction, it is the gateway into the Black Country and needs to be addressed.
"My concern is not that it will never happen it is how long it will be before it happens.
"At peak times it is absolute gridlock and that is a problem. The capacity at that junction needs to be improved and it can't happen soon enough."
A preferred option for the island, known as the 'hamburger' scheme which would see it be spilt in two to allow traffic to run through the centre of it, was approved by planners last year.
If and when the work begins, it is expected to take two years to complete.
Mr Johal said: "It's now a question of priority. It's an ever-changing fiscal environment."
