Birmingham set to approve pinch points package
Birmingham City Council is set to approve the full business case for a package of improvements to pinch points on Birmingham's ring road at Cabinet on Monday 15 September.
The work aims to remove bottlenecks at key junctions on the city's ring roads and is due to start in January and February 2015. It follows consultation with residents, commuters and other key groups after the successful application to the Department for Transport for £3.9m funding to tackle congestion at key junctions and promote economic growth.
Cllr Tahir Ali, Birmingham City Council's cabinet member for Development, Transport and the Economy, said: “Next year's improvements to the city's ring roads will ease traffic congestion at key pinch points around the city and the knock on effect of this will be to support continued economic growth in Birmingham and the wider region.
“This is a golden opportunity to make some massive improvements to key roads but the terms of the funding is that it must all be completed quickly which is why we are planning to get the majority of it done early next year.
“We have all learnt a lot from our experience with the tunnels closures over the last two summers and we will do all we can to ensure that the majority of this work will go ahead off site and during off peak times.”
Cabinet will be asked to approve the full business case for the Bordesley Circus, Haden Circus, Curzon Circle and Holloway Circus projects within the Local Pinch Point Fund ring road works package at a total cost of £7.303m. Cabinet will also be asked to release further development funding of £0.3m to progress the detailed design for the Ashted Circus pinch points project.
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For further media information call Debbie Harrison on 0121 303 34476
Notes to Editors
Junction Construction Start Construction Finish
Bordesley Circus February 2015 August 2015
Haden Circus January 2015 September 2015
Curzon Circle January 2015 February 2015
Holloway Circus February 2015 September 2015
Ashted Circus Early 2016 Spring 2017
The estimated capital cost of all five schemes is £14.05m which will be financed by the DfT Local Pinch Point Fund, Centro, Enterprise Zone, Local Growth Fund, Cycle City Ambition Grant, the Integrated Transport Block and Section 106 funding.
