Flyover removal completed successfully

The removal of a flyover in Perry Barr, Birmingham, has now been completed in the UK. The work was carried out successfully by the contractor Tarmac within a tight timeframe
May 14, 2021 Read time: 2 mins

 

The 50-year-old flyover carried the busy A34 and was safely removed in just a single weekend to make way for an improved road layout. The work marks a key stage in Phase 2 of the A34 Perry Barr highways improvement scheme.

Extensive planning was needed for the job to be carried out safely. The highways scheme forms part of a £500 million regeneration project to transform Perry Barr and surrounding areas.

Working alongside specialist subcontractor S Evans & Sons Demolition, principal contractor, Tarmac employed seven excavators to remove the flyover.

Hitachi excavators were amongst the machines used for the work. These were fitted with demolition attachments to crush and remove the concrete superstructure and to cut through the steel supports. Over 300 lorryloads of materials were removed from the site, with all of the waste steel and concrete being recycled. The Tarmac team was able to minimise traffic disruption by removing the flyover abutments as well as the spans in one go.

With only one weekend allocated for the work, careful coordination of traffic was critical to the job. Transport for West Midlands (TfWM), working closely with Tarmac and the City Council, led in the organisation and communication of statutory diversion routes. The network was closely monitored through the Regional Transportation Coordination Centre to keep local residents, businesses, commuters and visitors informed of live traffic updates, road closures and alternative methods of travel.

Phase 2 of the A34 Perry Barr highways improvement scheme is set to complete in May 2021. Tarmac is now planning lifting precast sections of a new bridge onto the redesigned Birchfield Junction nearby within the next few weeks.

The wider programme of Perry Barr highway improvement works is set to be completed at the end of this year and will see local roads remodelled and redesigned to make the area more accessible by sustainable forms of transport including a new bus corridor.

The highway scheme will support the delivery of new homes, improvements to public transport, walking and cycling routes, new community facilities to make Perry Barr one of the most well-connected areas in the West Midlands.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Auckland Harbour bridge celebrates 50 years
    February 22, 2012
    The bridge over Auckland Harbour celebrates its half century this year, and it has been given a major upgrade to ensure that safety is maintained in New Zealand's largest city. Mary Searle reports. Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, home to nearly a third of the entire country's population. It's a sprawling metropolis, and its 1.3 million people are spread over 637km² of city, suburbs and islands. The Auckland Harbour Bridge, which celebrates its 50th birthday in May, is a vital link in the city's road
    Read More
  • Auckland Harbour bridge celebrates 50 years
    April 5, 2012
    The bridge over Auckland Harbour celebrates its half century this year, and it has been given a major upgrade to ensure that safety is maintained in New Zealand's largest city. Mary Searle reports. Auckland is New Zealand's largest city, home to nearly a third of the entire country's population. It's a sprawling metropolis, and its 1.3 million people are spread over 637km² of city, suburbs and islands. The Auckland Harbour Bridge, which celebrates its 50th birthday in May, is a vital link in the city's road
    Read More
  • Balfour Beatty join new UK Midlands Highways Alliance framework
    June 12, 2014
    Balfour Beatty has been appointed by the Midlands Highways Alliance, a collection of twenty UK local authorities, to the Midlands Highways Alliance Medium Schemes Framework Two (MSF2) which will deliver up to €322.87 million (£261 million) of transport infrastructure over the next three years. Under the framework, the company will deliver the construction of new transport infrastructure schemes such as bridges, roads and public transport schemes such as park and rides, bus stops and bus lanes. Balfour Bea
    Read More
  • Formwork innovations help bridge building
    July 7, 2015
    A series of formwork developments are helping with challenging bridge construction projects around the world - Mike Woof writes In the Polish city of Krakow, a cost-effective cable stayed bridge is being constructed using a balanced cantilever technique. The current expansion of the Krakow metropolitan railway network (KST) requires the building of a crossing of the Krakow-Plaszow railway junction. Ensuring that daily rail operations remained unaffected during the construction of the 252m long crossing w
    Read More

Highlighted Content