Temporary rule changes in place on Wednesbury road as work to fix 'real inconvenience' for residents to begin
A Wednesbury road will temporarily have a reduced speed limit while a pedestrian crossing is in place to help residents avoid a flooded underpass.
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The underpass in Leabrook Road, below the Steel Roundabout, became flooded when a water main suffered a "major burst" in November.
The water damaged the electric control panel and pump that normally keeps the underpass clear of naturally occurring groundwater and run-off from the surrounding area.
Work is expected to start on replacing the pump, which had been in operation since 1990, at the beginning of February.
As a temporary solution, Sandwell Council will install a pedestrian crossing on Black Country New Road near to the Parkway Roundabout, which leads onto the Steel Roundabout.
Work to install crossing to start this week
Work on the crossing will start this weekend (January 11) and is expected to be completed by January 20.
From January 20, until work to replace the pump begins, the Black Country New Road will also have a reduced speed limit from 40mph to 30mph.
Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for environment and highways, Councillor Keith Allcock, said: “We know that the flooding of the underpass has been a real inconvenience to many residents since the major water main burst. It’s a key route for many people to get to school, work and to the town centre.
“We’ve tried to address the problem by pumping the water off using a tanker, which hasn’t been effective due to the amount of wet weather and freezing temperatures we’ve had. We’re now doing all we can to get the new pump installed to resolve the problem permanently.
“In the meantime, we’ll have a temporary crossing in place so pedestrians can safely get to where they need to go.
"While we do the work to get that temporary crossing in place, I’d urge pedestrians to use safe crossing points along the route.”
