West Bromwich's £25m underpass taking shape

A new £25 million underpass being built in the heart of West Bromwich is taking shape.

Work is well under way on the scheme at the A41 Expressway and this latest image shows how the tunnel is progressing.

Diggers have begun shifting the soil between the walls of the underpass where the road will go under the All Saints Way island.

The scheme aims to cut congestion in the town and will see a dual-carriageway underpass run beneath the roundabout where The Expressway meets All Saints Way.

The roundabout, next to West Bromwich fire station, is one of the borough's busiest junctions, carrying 63,000 vehicles a day. It is hoped the development will improve traffic flow for drivers using the island going from West Bromwich to Birmingham.

It is also hoped the underpass will speed up journeys in and around the town, set to become home to a £200m shopping and leisure development being built by Tesco.

The Department for Transport has invested £22m into the scheme, with Tesco contributing £2.2m. It is hoped the underpass will be ready by late 2011. A webcam monitoring the progress of the works can be viewed at www.sandwell-a41.co.uk

Drivers face delays overnight this weekend because part of the roundabout will be closed. Traffic will be diverted. Bus services outbound from West Bromwich will also be diverted.

Inbound buses will not be affected but could be delayed.