Carillion has been appointed by Solihull Council to design and build the A45 South Bridge Replacement scheme.

The reconstruction work is due to start early next year.

The current bridge, which dates back to around 1837, is used by 30,000 vehicles a day and serves as an important transport link to the many businesses in and around the area, including the NEC, Jaguar Land Rover and Birmingham Airport.

Due to its narrowness and age, the bridge is no longer ideal for traffic in its existing form. It will be replaced with a new bridge with increased lane widths and an additional lane to improve traffic capacity.

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Highway safety will be improved by the provision of an additional carriageway lane segregating traffic travelling from the M42 northbound to the Airport from other traffic. The scheme will also provide a safe pedestrian access along the A45 towards the Airport and improve the slip road into the Airport.

Between January and December 2015, Carillion will construct an accommodation bridge alongside the existing bridge to allow for the route to remain open throughout the scheme. Demolition of the old bridge structure will take place over a 54-hour period during Christmas 2015, with an expected completion date of August 2016 for the new bridge structure.

Councillor Bob Sleigh, Leader of Solihull Council, said: "The importance of this project for the regional and strategic highway network really cannot be underestimated.

"The new bridge will ensure continuous accessibility to one of the UK's most economically important locations. But it is also crucial in ensuring we can provide safe and reliable journeys for our road users."

(CD/JP)