Work on bridges for £25m route nearing completion

Work on bridges over the multi-million new underpass being created on the A41 in West Bromwich is almost complete.

The £25 million scheme will see traffic travelling towards Birmingham taken underneath the junction at All Saints Way where at present there is a roundabout.

The roundabout, by West Bromwich fire station, carries 63,000 vehicles a day and it is hoped the development will improve the traffic flow for drivers between West Bromwich and Birmingham.

Roadways to the east and west of the All Saints roundabout are now almost finished, with the west bridge open to traffic.

Councillor Derek Rowley, Sandwell's neighbourhoods chief, said: "It is a significant step forward in the project set to improve journey times through West Bromwich towards Birmingham."

On the central island, excavation for the new underpass to the west of the junction is being carried out, and foundations have been cast for the tower of the new footbridge.

Public sewers have been diverted around the new interchange and drainage and highway work has begun on the All Saints Way section.

Cronehills Linkway, which leads from the junction into West Bromwich town centre, is being widened and will link the major route to the £200m Tesco development set to be developed in the town.

Traffic on the A41 Expressway has been diverted onto a new route, with temporary signals at rush hour.

The Department for Transport has invested £22m in the scheme, with Tesco contributing £2.2m.

Meanwhile, temporary closures will be at the junction of the A41 Expressway with the A4031 Cronehills Linkway. The road will close for the first time on May 14 at 8.30pm, reopening at 5am on May 16. A second closure will be in place from from May 21 to 23.