Road works commenced at St. Chad’s Circus in July 2006 as part of the preparations for the proposed development of Snow Hill – a scheme by Ballymore Properties Ltd offering high quality office space, 200 residential apartments, retail units and hotel and leisure accommodation. The next major traffic management phase of this 50 week road works contract is due to commence on Sunday 14th January 2007, for 22 weeks and requires the closure of the St. Chad’s Circus slip roads outside the Cathedral and the Thistle Hotel.
Essential structural improvements and maintenance works to the A38 St. Chad’s tunnel are to be carried out as part of the work, which will not require the closure of the A38 tunnel itself, but, as the St. Chad’s Queensway slip roads pass over the top of the tunnel, road closures will be required for 22 weeks to allow safe working conditions.
Councillor Len Gregory, Cabinet Member for Transportation & Street Services, said:
“We hope that people will bear with us as they get used to the revised routes, and we appreciate that there will be some inconvenience whilst they get used to these changes. This work heralds a £400 million landmark project that when completed, will help provide new landscaped areas and attractive public space in the city centre. We will do our best to keep the public informed of the changes via our dedicated website www.birmingham.gov.uk/roadworks.”
Council officers and Birse Civil Engineering Ltd, (who worked in partnership to deliver the Masshouse infrastructure changes with minimum impacts on city centre businesses, residents and visitors), are building on previous working relationships to professionally manage the traffic demands presented by the slip road closures. Liaison has been carried out with the Emergency Services, Bus Operators, Centro and Frontages to allow traffic management proposals for normal operating demands as well as for emergency tunnel closure conditions.
From week commencing 11th December 2006, warning signs will be placed at key junctions across the City to alert drivers of the forthcoming major works at St. Chad’s. Also at this time, advance warning signs will be placed on the slip roads due to be closed.
Information handouts will be distributed across St. Chad’s Circus and the adjacent areas to show the road closures and advise of diversion routes.
Normal Diversion Routes
The advisory alternative route for through traffic is via the A4540 Middleway Ring Road between Dartmouth Circus and (Spring Hill) Paradise Circus Queensway.
Southbound Slip Road (Off Queensway to City Centre). Traffic will be signed via Whittall Street to Steel House lane for access to the City Centre. For traffic wishing to access Old Snow Hill to Hockley or the slip road to Great Charles Street Queensway, the signed route will continue via Colmore Circus and Snow Hill Queensway back to St. Chad’s Circus.
South bound traffic wanting to access the business quarter and Livery Street car park will be advised to use St Chad’s Queensway Underpass, Great Charles Street and New Market Street.
Northbound Slip Road (On to Queensway towards Lancaster Circus). Traffic from the city centre and Great Charles Street slip road will be signed northbound to Hockley Circus and along the Middleway Ring Road to Dartmouth Circus or Lancaster Circus. Traffic approaching from Handsworth will have signing prior to reaching St. Chad’s Circus at Hockley Circus and along Great Hampton Street / Constitution Hill to warn of the slip road closed ahead and to follow diversion routes.
In the case of Emergencies special diversion routes will come into force.
.A38 Queensway Tunnel Routine Maintenance
To minimise traffic disruption, all tunnel routine maintenance will be carefully coordinated with the St. Chads works and will be restricted to between 22.00 and 06.00hours. Traffic management will be implemented similar to that of an emergency closure.
Traffic Information and Updates
Information and route plans made available via www.birmingham.gov.uk/roadworks, and distributed in car parks and local businesses.
Site Hotline available 07976 539935
Bus Services
The majority of bus services entering the City Centre will be unaffected and will continue to use the current terminal stops.
Services normally accessing the City Centre via St Chad’s Queensway slip roads will be diverted as follows:
Travel West Midlands Services: 104,104a, 105, 902, 904, 905, 915,107, 114, 115, 914, 91
These services will access the City Centre from Lancaster Circus Queensway via James Watt Queensway, Dale End, Newton Street, Corporation Street, Old Square, corporation Street, terminating in Upper Bull Street.
Travel West Midlands 65 Service will be re-routed to tie in with the current route of the 67 bendy bus service that picks up and sets down on Corporation Street (North).
North Birmingham Busways Services: 104X, 108X and 113X
Arriva Services: 110, 112, 115, 116
Zak’s Service: X73
These services will access the City Centre from Lancaster Circus via St Chad’s Queensway, Whittall Street, Weaman Street, Colmore Circus, Priory Queensway, Old Square, Corporation Street, terminating in Upper Bull Street.
All the above services will leave the City Centre via the following route:
Colmore Circus, Priory Queensway, Old Square, Corporation Street, James Watt Queensway and Lancaster Circus.
The bus operators affected by the closure of the slip roads have agreed to monitor their operations during the first few weeks of the closure and if bus services are unable to meet the time table required by the Traffic Commissioner, services identified above will be relocated to Priory Queensway (Opposite Argos).
Contacts
Birmingham City Council Highways Call Desk 0121 303 6644
(08:45 to 17:15 Mon – Thur, 08:45 to 16:15 Fri)
Birse Civil Engineering Ltd, Site Hotline 07976 539935
(24hr services, voice mail out of office hours)
Centro Customer Relations: 0121 214 7214
(08:45 AM to 17:15 Mon – Thur, 08:45 to 16:45 Fri)
Traveline Public Transport info : 0870 608 2608
(07:00 to 22:30 Mon – Sun)
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