It has been confirmed that a railway bridge in Northfield is set to remain closed to motorised traffic for a second year.
After 14 months of assessment, it has been announced that works to repair Wychall Road footbridge are not set to begin until late Spring 2020.
Emergency Closure
An emergency closure was of the Wychall Road bridge was put in place in September 2018 after an inspection of the footbridge by Birmingham City Council contractors. This was to: “ensure the safety of both pedestrians, and the rail lines beneath the structure.”
With the footbridge unsafe and unusable, the road bridge was closed to motorised traffic to allow through access for pedestrians and cyclists. Traffic is currently diverted via Middlemore Road, Church Hill and Woodland Road meaning increased congestion and longer journey times for many.
14 months of assessment
Since the closure, the bridge has been examined by Birmingham City Council contractors Amey, Birmingham Highways, and Network Rail.
The four parties involved have now agreed that the road bridge is safe for traffic but the footbridge needs to be reconstructed.
So the current closure and diversion for motorised traffic is to remain in place while works to the footbridge are completed.
Work to begin in 2020
At present, the works are in the design and planning phase. It is anticipated that rebuilding works on the bridge will not begin until late Spring 2020, with an aim to complete by early autumn.
More information
- Online at www.birmingham.gov.uk/connected
- Phone 0121 303 6644
- Follow @Bhamconnected on Facebook or Twitter
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