- Local people in the Birmingham area to benefit from major engineering project to ensure safe and reliable gas supplies for decades to come
- Work is due to start on A34 in Sparkbrook on Monday 18 June and last 15 weeks
- Road and lane closures are needed to carry out work safely
A major engineering project is due to get underway in the Birmingham area this month. It will ensure that local people and businesses can continue to enjoy safe and reliable gas supplies to heat their homes, cook their meals and power their businesses until the end of the century.
In a 15-week project, starting on Monday 18 June, local gas network Cadent will be renewing ageing iron mains the size of a car tyre on the A34 Stratford Road, Sparkbrook.
The existing metal mains will be replaced with tough new plastic pipes that will last for at least 80 years once they are in the ground.
Steve Murray, who heads up Cadent’s gas mains replacement programme in the West Midlands, said: “Cadent is making a major investment into Birmingham’s gas pipe network to ensure that local people and businesses continue to enjoy safe and reliable gas supplies for decades to come. This is important work to upgrade an existing gas main that is nearing the end of its natural life and needs to be replaced.
“We appreciate that this is a busy route and that our work will cause some disruption. We’ll do everything we can to ensure that this essential upgrade is completed quickly and with as little inconvenience as possible.
“We’d advise motorists to leave extra time for their journeys during peak times. We very much appreciate people’s patience and understanding during our work.”
Cadent has worked closely with Birmingham City Council Highways to make sure that any disruption is kept to a minimum.
To keep staff and road-users safe while the work is underway traffic management will be in place. The project will be split into three phases, which will each need traffic restrictions.
- Phase 1: Lane closure and road closure For eight weeks there will be a lane closure from outside 368 Stratford Road to the junction of Warwick Road. A contra-flow system will be in place to help traffic flow. There will also be no left turn to Warwick Road from Stratford Road.
- Phase 2: Lane closure and road closure
For three weeks there will be a lane closure from outside 340 Stratford Road to 368 Stratford Road. A contra-flow system will be in place to help traffic flow. The junction of Poplar Road and Stratford Road will also be closed during this phase.
- Phase 3: Lane closure and one-way road closure For four weeks a lane will be closed from outside 304 Stratford Road to 340 Stratford Road. A contra-flow system will be operating to help traffic flow. There will also be a one-way road closure for drivers using Walford Road to access Stratford Road. Motorists will not be able to access Stratford Road from Walford Road during this phase.
A clearly signed diversion will be in place during the road closures.
If anyone has any enquiries about this work they should contact Cadent’s customer services team
0161 703 1000. To find out more about how Cadent replaces gas mains and how that affects residents and businesses go to
www.bettergaspipes.co.uk.