A short section of Sedgley Road East in Tipton will close completely to vehicular traffic from Monday 27 July as work to remove a railway bridge on the anticipated Metro route gets underway.

Those traveling along Sedgley Road East over the summer are being asked to leave more time for their journeys and to follow clearly signed diversion routes. Public transport users are also being advised that bus services in the area may run on amended routes and they should check the West Midlands Network website before they travel. In addition, pedestrian diversions will be in place as footpaths beneath the structure are temporarily closed. It is anticipated that the closures will be lifted in time for the return to school in September.

The Midland Metro Alliance has worked closely with Sandwell Council and Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) to notify residents, businesses and organisations directly impacted by the localised closure, sharing tips on how they can avoid disruption by using travel planning information.

Ian Collins, Project Director at the Midland Metro Alliance, the organisation that is designing and building the route on behalf of Transport for West Midlands, said: “The works to remove the tired bridge over Sedgley Road, near to Coneygre Community Centre and Sacred Heart Primary School, is an exciting step forward in this project. We do, however, recognise for those in the Tipton area the localised closure necessary for us to remove the bridge safely will unfortunately cause some slight disruption. We have therefore planned these works to happen during the six weeks summer holidays to minimise the impact of the works as much as possible. We will return in the future to rebuild a completely new bridge at the same location fit to carry the new metro extension between Wednesbury and Brierley Hill and onwards along the existing line to Wolverhampton and Birmingham.”

The Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension will boost public transport in the Black Country, providing much-needed links to the existing heavy and light rail networks, and helping to connect people to education, training and career opportunities further afield in the West Midlands.

The extension will also play its part in helping to regenerate the Sandwell, Dudley and Brierley Hill areas, making it more attractive to investors and providing easy access to the Merry Hill shopping centre and the region’s many and varied attractions by public transport. Once up and running, the new system will provide up to 17 new stops and will also reduce journey times when compared to travelling by car.

Across the summer months, further preliminary works are scheduled across both Sandwell and Dudley boroughs including continued utility diversions and upgrades between July and September in Castle Hill and Trindle Road in Dudley and assessments, strengthening and infill work on several structures along the railway corridor which makes up more than 7 kilometres of the route.

During the works on Sedgley Road East, people will be able to complete their journeys following a short and clearly signed diversion route. Transport for West Midlands, Sandwell Council and the Midland Metro Alliance have teamed up to provide the following travel advice:

• Plan ahead and leave more time for your journeys especially if you travel along Sedgley Road East, Park Lane West, Mayfair Gardens or Victoria Road, as you’ll need more time for your journey to take account of the closure that will be in place
• Follow the @wmroads Twitter feed for real time traffic updates
• The busiest times to travel are changing as lockdown eases. Check with operators before you travel
• Road users are also being encouraged to take up other modes of transport such as walking or cycling where possible.

Anne Shaw, Director of Network Resilience, at TfWM said: “The closure will be in place throughout the summer and during this time delays are possible so we are asking people to consider their journeys wherever they can – this is especially important as people start returning to normal travel behaviours as lockdown measures continue to be eased.”