Up until recently a lot of work which has taken place so far on the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill extension of the West Midlands Metro has been demolition but local leaders are now celebrating after the installation of the first new structure on the line – a bridge over the Walsall Canal.
Aging bridges had previously been demolished over the Tame Valley, Walsall and Old Main Line Canals over the autumn and winter periods with progress now moving to the installation of new structures. This first new bridge has been purpose built to meet the needs of a modern tramway and will see the trams go over the Walsall Canal in Wednesbury.
To mark the milestone newly re-elected Mayor of the West Midlands, Andy Street, joined Cllr Jackie Taylor (Sandwell Council Cabinet Member for Sustainable Transport), James Dennison (Enterprise Manager for the Canal and River Trust in the West Midlands) and Ian Collins (Midland Metro Alliance Project Director) at the scene.
Andy Street commented: “For decades the Black Country extension of the metro has been talked about but never delivered. So, in my first term as Mayor I negotiated directly with the then-Chancellor to get the cash we needed to make it happen, and now in my second term the new line is coming to life before residents’ eyes. The largest light rail extension being delivered anywhere in the UK, the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension will be a complete game-changer for the region. Not only is it providing good quality construction jobs for local workers at a critical time, but it’ll also finally re-connect communities in Dudley and Sandwell that have been cut off from the wider transport network for far too long. This extension is just one part of my wider 2040 transport plan for the West Midlands, and we will continue to press on with more metro extensions, new rail stations, and cleaner, quicker buses.”
The new bridge is made up of two 54 ton pieces was lowered into position on Tuesday 11th May by a 750 ton crane. It is just the first of a number of bridges which will be installed over the coming months with both the Tame Valley Canal and Old Main Line Canal set to also see new structures installed later this year.
Ian Collins from the Midland Metro Alliance said: “Much of the activity to complete designs, remove the old structure and fabricate a new one has taken place during the pandemic. Some really fantastic work has taken place during some really challenging times. On behalf of the Midland Metro Alliance I would like to thank everyone involved who has helped us safely get to this point, whilst continuing to minimise disruption wherever possible.”
The full line from Wednesbury to Brierley Hill is due to open in 2023.