Eight months of roadworks as gas pipes ripped out near Sandwell General Hospital
Drivers face eight months of roadworks misery in West Bromwich after a major scheme to rip up gas pipes outside Sandwell Hospital was revealed.
Work will start next month and last until Christmas, with rolling road closures and temporary traffic lights set to bring widespread disruption to the town.
A kilometre of gas pipes will be dug up from beneath Hallam Street, which runs past Sandwell General.
Preparation work is already under way, with temporary traffic lights in Hallam Street.
Work to remove the iron mains and replace them with plastic pipes, expected to last for 80 years, will begin on Monday, April 23.
From then, two-way temporary traffic lights will be in operation in Church Vale.
A lane closure will also be in place on All Saints Way for traffic heading towards West Bromwich.
Traffic lights will then be in place in various areas throughout the summer.
Access to Hallam Street from All Saints Way will be restricted in June and July, with Church Vale to be shut first at its junction with Parsonage Street and then at Hallam Street.
Temporary lights will then be in place outside Sandwell Hospital for two months until the end of October.
The project is due to finish on December 21.
Gas firm Cadent said it would be working closely with Sandwell Council to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum but urged motorists and residents to be patient.
Steve Murray, who heads up Cadent’s gas mains replacement project in the West Midlands, said: “This is a major investment to ensure local people in West Bromwich continue to enjoy safe and reliable gas supplies to heat their homes, cook their meals and power their businesses for decades to come.
“We very often take for granted the benefits of our daily gas supply.
“This is a long and challenging project and we realise our work is likely to be disruptive.
"We’ll work hard to complete this important project on time.
"We’d ask everyone to be patient and know that when we’ve finished there’ll be a significant long-term gain of having a continued gas supply for cooking and heating.
"We’ve made every possible effort to let local people know about the work and our customer services team will be on site to answer any questions or deal with any issues.
"We’d like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding which we appreciate.”
