Major fly-over could be razed in time for Games
AMAJOR city fly-over used by thousands of commuters each day could be demolished as Birmingham prepares for the Commonwealth Games.
City transport bosses are to look at pulling down the A34 Birchfield flyover as part of the wider regeneration of Perry Barr.
They are also considering filling in the underpass and subways at the junction of Aston Lane and Birchfield by the end of 2021 in readiness for the Commonwealth Games the following summer.
It means months of disruption for commuters at a location which when it flooded in 2014 brought the north Birmingham road network to a standstill for a full day.
Local councillor Jon Hunt (Lib Dem, Perry Barr) said: “This is utterly daft and I do not believe it is necessary.
“It can only cause massive congestion on the A34. It’s the sort of stupidity that will spoil a great occasion.”
Plans, costs and options for the A34 are currently being looked at by council officials as part of the £525 million regeneration of Perry Barr including an athletes village on the former Birmingham City University campus
site. It has already been suggested that the labyrinthine Perry Barr gyratory system would be broken up and part incorporated into the 1,400 home athletes village.
And there have long been plans to route a rapid Sprint bus along the A34, as well as revamp the Birchfield island junction, upgrade the dingy subterranean rail station and redevelop the bus interchange outside the One Stop Shopping Centre.
Construction of a cycle superhighway is already underway and could be extended further along the A34.
But tucked away in a report to the council’s cabinet it has now been revealed for the first time that both the flyover could be removed and underpass filled in – as long as the plans stack up.
A council spokesman said: “We looking at a wide range of options for the centre of Perry Barr and the
This is utterly daft. It’s the sort of stupidity that will spoil a great occasion
transport network and nothing will be decided until all those options have been thoroughly investigated.”
Transport officers are now checking out traffic flows and assessing the impact of various works and schemes on the wider road network.
The following time scales are suggested:
A34 works and bus interchange – begin in July 2019 and finish in December 2021
Rail station upgrade – work to take place and finish during 2020
Sprint rapid bus route – construction begins in January 2020 and finished by December 2021.
Councillor Jon Hunt, left