Pedestrians can now cross a major Wednesbury road safely after a temporary pedestrian crossing was installed to help people avoid a flooded underpass.
Sandwell Council has installed a temporary pedestrian crossing on Black Country New Road, near Parkway Roundabout, and reduced the speed limit to 30mph to make the crossing safe for pedestrians.
The underpass below Steel Roundabout in Leabrook Road was flooded when a water main suffered a major burst in November.
The flooding damaged the electric control panel and pumps that normally keeps the underpass clear of naturally occurring groundwater and run-off from the surrounding area.
The underpass is now clear of water, and work continued over the weekend to clean up silt and cut back shrubs and bushes to make the underpass usable. A temporary pump is expected to be installed by the end of this week to prevent future flooding issues.
Sandwell Council’s cabinet member for environment and highways Councillor Keith Allcock said: “The temporary crossing means pedestrians can now cross this major route safely while we finish the work to clean up the underpass following the flooding.
“Work is continuing this week to get the temporary pump in place and we’re doing all we can to get a new permanent pump installed to ensure we have no further problems here.
“I would like to thank residents for bearing with us while the necessary work has been carried out, and we’re sorry for the inconvenience that has been caused.”
The temporary crossing will remain in place until the work on a permanent pump is completed.