City bypass construction moves to next phase

A multi-million-pound road scheme which will ease congestion in Lichfield and support development is moving to its next stage following the completion of a major engineering project.

Construction of the final section of the Lichfield Southern Bypass is well under way. The £17.5m scheme will connect the A5127 Birmingham Road with the A5206 London Road. The present section involves building an underpass beneath the Cross City railway line.

During a four-day period over Christmas, a new rail bridge was installed on the City Line section where the new road will pass underneath.

This involved removing the line before installation of the structure. The embankments were then reconstructed and the railway line placed back into position.

With the new bridge in place, the project team will now be able to excavate underneath to connect the new section of road with the Falkland Road/Birmingham Road island. The retaining walls under the bridge will be built before the road section is constructed.

Following completion of the bridge, a new section of road will link with a new housing development and new primary school in addition to easing congestion in the city centre and around the railway station.

Staffordshire County Council’s economic growth leader Mark Winnington said: “The final section of the Lichfield Southern Bypass is vital for the city’s future growth – reducing congestion in the city centre, enabling development and helping to attract future investment.

“The scheme is progressing well and the work taking place over the Christmas period was a major engineering success. It involved a lot of careful planning and was completed on schedule. It was great to see the team in action when I visited the site – they have done a tremendous job.

“This is another example of the county council and partners delivering a major development project on schedule and is a hugely encouraging start to the new year.”

The project is being funded by the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership, the Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Local Enterprise Partnership, the Department for Transport and developers.