A major road project which will see the final section of Lichfield’s Southern Bypass completed has taken another step forward.
Staffordshire County Council has started the process of buying up land along the route.
The £17.5million scheme will connect the A5127 Birmingham Road with the A5206 London Road and will involve building an underpass beneath the Cross City railway line.
The 670 metre stretch is being funded by a developer, the Greater Birmingham and Solihull Local Enterprise Partnership (GBSLEP) and the Government.
In October, the Department for Transport announced £5 million would be allocated to the scheme.
The GBSLEP is now awaiting the business case to be submitted with a view to allocating £2.3m of its Growth Deal funding to the project.
The work, scheduled to be completed by 2020, will be done in such a way that a restored Lichfield canal could also pass under the Cross City Line, boosting tourism in the area.
The new road will also support a new housing development and new primary school with work due to begin in late summer 2018, if a planning application is approved in early 2018.
Staffordshire County Council’s economic growth leader Mark Winnington said: “Completing the final section of the Lichfield Southern Bypass between Birmingham Road and London Road is an essential part of Lichfield’s growth plans.
"It will support future development contained in the Local Plan – notably the delivery of new homes and businesses, office and retail space.
“This final section of the route, which is being funded through a mix of private and public investment, will help to deliver millions of pounds worth of future investment in Lichfield while improving traffic flow around the city and helping to reduce congestion which restricts business growth.”
