Skip to main content

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.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Asphalt milling optimised by 3D controls
    February 20, 2012
    3D machine controls can optimise milling efficiency, Mike Woof reports. More efficient milling and recycling operations can be carried out by using the latest 3D control systems on the market. At the last Trimble Dimensions event in Las Vegas, the advantages of 3D controls for milling operations proved a key topic. The use of 3D control systems can offer huge advantages in milling operations. This technology helps increase productivity as the milling machine will only remove what is required, which also hel
  • £115 million road for Melton Mowbray in the UK
    June 12, 2025
    Construction is underway for a £115 million road for Melton Mowbray in the UK.
  • Major project to construct landmark Bay Bridge in California
    October 31, 2012
    Iconic California crossing will offer seismic safety – Adrian Greeman reports A unique single-span single-tower suspension bridge is the iconic centrepiece of a dramatic renewal of the eastern Bay Bridge in California, crossing from San Francisco to Oakland. Tourists in San Francisco sometimes mix up their bridges, identifying as the famous Golden Gate, the double suspension bridge which runs across the wide San Francisco Bay. These serially linked bridges in fact form the Bay Bridge east to Oakland whereas
  • VIDEO of specialist contractor’s successful bridge demolition in Canada
    May 12, 2015
    Specialist contractor Priestly Demolition recently carried out a successful project in Ontario, Canada. The firm used its specialist skills to remove The Fountain Road Overpass, crossing Highway 401. A fleet of excavators equipped with demolition tools, including breakers and cutting equipment, was brought into to carry out the work using an overnight closure of the highway. Other machines including wheeled loaders and backhoe loaders were used to remove the broken out materials and to carry out other general duties.