A huge £11 million road improvement scheme for one of Birmingham’s busiest roads is going ahead, after the Government gave final approval.
The A452 Chester Road project, which will take a year to complete, will get underway next Spring.
Transport Minister Baroness Kramer confirmed that the Treasury will contribute £8.2 million to the project, which is designed to cut congestion and make the road safer for pedestrians and cyclists.
The rest of the money will come from Birmingham City Council.
A consultation on the work, which affects the Chester Road and junctions in Erdington, began back in 2011.
The scheme includes improvements to the M6 Junction 5 roundabout, including new traffic signals and widening of the carriageway.
A new junction with traffic signals will be created at the junction between Chester Road and Berrandale Road.
There will be improvements to the Chester Road and Fort Parkway roundabout, including traffic signals and carriageway widening.
The existing dual carriageway road between the Chester Road and Fort Parkway roundabout and Chester Road and Kingsbury Road roundabouts will be widened to three lanes.
Improvements will also be made to the Chester Road roundabouts at Kingsbury Road and Tyburn Road.
Baroness Kramer said: “This road carries heavy traffic creating poor access, environmental problems and a lack of reliable journey times for public transport, freight operations and private cars.
“These improvements will improve the network for road users; improve bus journey times and improve pedestrian and cyclist safety.”
Councillor Tahir Ali, cabinet member for development, jobs and skills, said: “With 40,000 vehicles using the road each day, delays on Chester Road have been causing real issues for businesses.
“This discourages further investment to the area, so I’m really pleased the situation has been recognised. It will also mean improved facilities for pedestrians, cyclists and people using public transport.”
