Final section of £17.5m city bypass opens

The final section of Lichfield’s £17.5m southern bypass has opened to traffic for the first time.

The new section of road connects the A5127 Birmingham Road with the A5206 London Road and has included building an underpass beneath the Cross City railway line.

This phase of the works was carried out with a 100-hour rail possession over Christmas 2019.

The scheme is being funded by Persimmon Homes as part of a wider strategy for the bypass which includes major contributions from the Department for Transport (£5mn) and the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership – which allocated £2.3m of its Growth Deal funding to the project.

The route also enables the future restoration and construction of the Lichfield & Hatherton Canal. The project team worked with the trust and to deliver elements of the canal construction works which can lead to full restoration in the coming years.

Representatives from Staffordshire County Council, Lichfield District Council, Persimmon Homes, the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership and the Lichfield and Hatherton Canal Restoration Trust marked the opening.

Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport David Williams said: “Completion of the final section of the Lichfield Southern Bypass is a significant marker and spur for the future regeneration of the city. It really will make a big difference – reducing city centre congestion, enabling housing development and helping to attract more investment.

“It’s fantastic to mark the occasion with our partners and open up to traffic after two-and-a-half years. Notably this has been done safely through the pandemic period which is a credit to everyone involved.

“Working with partner organisations has been critical to the delivery of this scheme and we’d also like to thank residents and businesses for their patience while work was carried out. We can now look forward to the great benefits it will bring to the city.”

 
Amey account director Richard Harris, Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership’s Satnam Rana-Grindley, Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for highways and transport David Williams, Persimmon Homes West Midlands managing director Stephen Cleveley, Lichfield and Hatherton Canals Restoration Trust chair Christine Bull and local county councillor Colin Greatorex.