Scheme update

The works to widen and resurface the footways in Arrow Valley Park were completed in March 2022.

This project saw the widening of a well-used path along the top of Arrow Valley lake from a width of 2.5 m to 4 m. The route was undulating with differences in levels found across the same cross-section with areas of pooling evident after rain events.

The route became Local Transport Note (LTN) 1/20 compliant for shared use and offers a smooth and comfortable journey with no pooling and even surfaces.

The gradients were lowered to become Equalities Act compliant.

Non-British Standard bollards where removed and replaced with BS EN Passive safety ones.

The ecology along the route was improved by the spreading of wildflower seeds for pollinators.

The lighting of the route was upgraded to be more energy efficient with the fitting of LED lighting heads.

A dropped crossing was installed allowing members of the public with mobility restrictions, easier access onto the footpaths around the lake.

Background

Bromsgrove was a focus for us, as making the transport network more efficient, particularly at peak travel times, will help to reduce congestion.

As Bromsgrove had a very limited infrastructure to support walking and cycling journeys, this forced some local people to drive short distances, adding to congested routes.

The £3.4million improvements for walking and cycling routes formed part of the wider transport and highways plan for the area and delivered an additional six recognised walking and cycling pathways. The works also included improving other recognised cycleways across Bromsgrove.

The new routes provided a new and improved link between the railway station, town centre, schools, as well as employment and residential areas.

The plan

There are many improvements planned as part of the investment. Proposed plans include:

• an additional six walking and cycling routes which will create a more robust network throughout Bromsgrove
• upgrade of existing controlled crossings on Kidderminster Road and Market Street
  • being made into toucan* crossings
• improving the toucan crossing on Birmingham Road by making the path wider
• paths in some areas will be widened to accommodate use by pedestrians and cyclists
• the majority of the cycle routes will remain on quieter, low traffic roads
  • small number of shared use paths being introduced
• path and road resurfacing to improve journey comfort
• new LED lighting on pathways
• clear signage that will indicate the length of time to walk and cycle to areas of the town centre
  • promote walking and cycling
• dropping of kerbs and the
• introduction of tactile paving at crossing points to improve accessibility

*A toucan crossing is a type of pedestrian crossing  that also allows bicycles to be ridden across as the same time as pedestrians as they are wider than a pelican crossing or puffin crossing.

Scheme description

This scheme involved the extensive widening and resurfacing of this very popular active travel corridor and connecting links.
It links the City Centre directly with the extensive business parks and commercial sites on the northern fringes of the city, Shrub Hill Rail Station, Worcester Leisure Centre and a number of residential areas.

Despite increasing levels of usage, the route was too narrow and poorly surfaced in places, these required corridor-length upgrading (including surfacing, widening and waymarking improvements and installation of permanent walking and cycling counters for monitoring) to enable it to play a more strategic role to support increased levels of walking and cycling across the city and beyond.

This project, in conjunction with Canal and Rivers Trust (CRT), saw the widening and resurfacing of the Birmingham and Worcester canal towpath between Friesland Close and Blackpole Road (Bridge 16-19).

The works included the widening and resurfacing of the towpath to create a sealed surfaced path suitable for use all year round.  The previous surface was a stone composition which had become eroded and left large areas of pooling after rain events.

This now gives better connectivity to industrial estates on the peripheries of the City and also opens up green spaces such as Perdiswell Park.

Scheme update April 2024:

The works relating to the Emergency Active Travel fund were completed in August 2022.

The 950m of widening and resurfacing of the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal Towpath linked into the successful Wyre Forest District Councils Levelling Up Fund bid which continued the widening and resurfacing of the towpath for a further 1.6Km towards Stourport-on-Severn. 

The works have brought year-round access from the north of Kidderminster to the Town Centre and beyond.

Sabrina Bridge in Worcester was first opened in 1992. Since then the footbridge has been incredibly well used, providing a link between the city centre to businesses, amenities and university buildings on the west side of the river.

The refurbishment of this bridge was a high priority for the Council, in particular the replacement of the bridge deck itself.

The new bridge deck is a composite material. The material was specifically chosen as it performs much better in wintery conditions than the current wooden slats.

The new decking will also provide more stability to the structure of the bridge. Works were completed at the end of 2020.

Improvement works are now completed on the 1905 historic Stanford bridge, located over the river Teme in the village of Stanford.

The bridge, restricted to pedestrians and cyclists, is an early example of reinforced concrete work and is a Listed Grade II Monument.

Repairs were required to improve the condition of the structure and included a full refurbishment of the main span and brickwork flood arches. 

The works, delivered by us with our contractor and Designer, Ringway and Jacobs respectively, have not significantly changed the visual look of the bridge with materials matching the existing as close to its original form as possible.

The main challenge was delivering the work under the three-tonne weight limit, as the weight of the scaffold hanging off the bridge posed a risk to the structure.

So, a phased approach was taken, scaffolding the two end abutments first, transferring the weight off the main span, followed by the middle section. 

Together with alternative material such as aluminium, kept the weight to a minimum. The risk of falling debris was prevented by a full encapsulation of the scaffolding.

The concrete bridge replaced a single span iron structure, a typical example of the transition of Iron bridges to the newer concept of reinforced concrete.

The bases of piers visible during low water levels are likely to be those of the brick bridge of the early 18th century.

The earliest recorded bridge in this location was a wooden one built in 1548.

Scheme update

Works to make walking and cycling improvements on Wyre Road in Pershore are now complete. 

The works to make improvements to the cycling and walking provision in the area, included the construction of a cycle/foot new path from Wyre Road roundabout to Station Road on the northern side of Wyre Road, the installation of a new kerb line, improvements to drainage and additional street lighting.

The cycle/foot path will provide a link between Station Road and the new Pershore Northern Link Road, at which works continue ahead of completion this summer.