June will see the installation of a bridge across Birmingham New Road which eventually see trams on the West Midlands Metro extension to Dudey and Brierley Hill. This will be the final purpose built structure for phase one of the line and it will also have a little nod to the past as it will receive signwriting as seen on the old structure which was removed late last year.<\/p>\n
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A short section of Birmingham New Road was closed briefly in December 2023 to allow for the old \u201cHanson\u2019s Ale\u201d bridge to be removed in preparation for its replacement by an all new structure which would meet all requirements for the tramway. This bridge had become a local landmark with adverts for Hanson\u2019s Ale having been carried for many years and to mark this the new structure will also feature signwriting of Hanson\u2019s.<\/p>\n
The new structure is to be installed in the same location over three consecutive weekends beginning on 7th<\/sup> June. The bridge will arrive on site in its iconic colour palette and design to showcase its \u201cHanson\u2019s Ale\u201d heritage.<\/p>\n Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: \u201c\u201cIt\u2019s very special that the Metro team have ensured that a much-loved local landmark is returning with a modern purpose-built structure but retaining all of its previous charm. It is important to me that with our works, in collaboration with our partners and the local community, we always look for opportunities to honour the region\u2019s cultural history while delivering new modern infrastructure to better connect our communities.\u201d<\/p>\n To allow the bridge to be installed there will be the following localised traffic management changes:<\/p>\n Tom Maplethorpe, Project Director at the Midland Metro Alliance, said: \u201cSince May 2021, we at MMA along with our partners have been busy installing a number of purpose-built structures for the first phase of the Wednesbury to Brierley Hill Metro extension. It\u2019s really exciting that the final bridge is almost in place and that we have been able to ensure its heritage is maintained. I would like to thank all involved, who have helped us safely get to this point, whilst continuing to minimise disruption for stakeholders wherever possible.\u201d<\/p>\n The first phase of the extension between Wednesbury and Flood Street, Dudley is scheduled to open by the end of 2024 (although in the latest press release \u2013 the first on the line since the change of Mayor in the West Midlands there is no direct mention of a timeframe).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" June will see the installation of a bridge across Birmingham New Road which eventually see trams on the West Midlands Metro extension to Dudey and Brierley Hill. This will be the final purpose built structure for phase one of the … Continue reading \n