- Major gas mains upgrade in Birchfield Road and Aston Lane to start next Monday
- Project is part of a £65 million investment in the West Midlands gas network
- Lane closures and diversion routes are necessary to carry out work safely
A major project to upgrade gas mains in Birmingham’s Perry Barr area has been postponed until next week.
Local gas network company Cadent was due to start work today to renew nearly 680 metres of gas pipes in the A34 Birchfield Road and in the A4040 Aston Lane. But the project has now been rescheduled to begin on Monday 4 September.
The project will be split into four phases. Phase 1 of the work is due to start in Birchfield Road on Monday 4 September and has been scheduled to finish on Saturday 21 October to allow the Birmingham Marathon to take place.
Phase 2 of the work has been planned to begin in Aston Lane on Monday 23 October and be completed on Friday 17 December before the main Christmas period starts.
Engineers will replace the existing ageing iron mains with tough new plastic pipes that will last for at least 80 years once they are in the ground.
To enable this essential work to be carried out safely traffic management measures will be in place.
Phase 1: work will start on the A34 Birchfield Road between the junctions of Aldridge Road and Aston Lane. To carry out the work safely it will be necessary to have a temporary lane closure in Birchfield Road between the junctions of Aldridge Road and the Island on Birchfield Road. Parking bays along this stretch of Birchfield Road will be temporary suspended.
Phase 2: work is due to take place in the A4040 Aston Lane between the junctions of Chesterwood Gardens and Birchfield Road. There will be a temporary lane closure for vehicles travelling towards Wellhead Lane. There will also be no access to Aston Lane for vehicles coming from the Island in Birchfield Road.
This week Cadent is liaising with customers to let them know about the new date for the start of the work.
Stephen Murray, Head of Contract for Cadent, said: “It’s essential that gas mains are replaced and upgraded and this major project is vital for the people of Perry Barr.
“We’re sorry that the work has been delayed. Our engineers are finishing another project and will be available to start the work in Perry Barr next week.
“We appreciate that these are busy routes and that our work will cause some disruption. But we’ll make every effort possible to carry out this essential upgrade as quickly as possible.
“We’d advise motorists to leave extra time for their journeys during peak times. We’d like to thank local people for their patience and understanding.”
Diversion routes will be in place and clearly sign posted. All subways and pedestrian crossing will remain open throughout the project.
Phases 3 and 4 are scheduled to begin in early January 2018. Cadent will liaise with local residents and businesses to let them know when work is due to start nearer the time.
The project is part of Cadent’s £65 million programme to renew 370kms of gas pipes in the West Midlands this year, ensuring gas supplies continue to reach 2 million homes and businesses in the region.
If anyone has any enquiries about this work they should contact Cadent’s customer services team on
0800 0965678. To find out more about how Cadent replaces gas mains and how that affects residents and businesses go to
www.bettergaspipes.co.uk.