Work on new bus lanes and junction upgrades on the busy Alcester Road is due to start later this month as part of an ongoing £30 million project to improve bus services across Birmingham, Sandwell and Dudley.

The new measures will give buses priority to improve journey times and reliability as they bypass traffic jams through the Balsall Heath area.

Work on the road, between Highgate Middleway and Park Road is due to begin on 27 February, 2023 and expected to be completed by the end of June. It is being led by Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) in partnership with Birmingham City Council.

This will be followed by works in Birmingham city centre, running from June, to provide bus priority measures in Margaret Street, Newhall Street, Summer Hill and Snow Hill Queensway. These are due to be completed by October. Public consultation on the plans took place during 2019.

The £30 million cross-city bus project will see priority measures, including bus lanes, junction upgrades and bus gates installed on a long route between Druids Heath and Dudley.

TfWM, which is part of the West Mildands Combined Authority (WMCA), is working in partnership with Birmingham, Sandwell and Dudley councils on the project. The Department for Transport has provided £24 million of the funding.

These allow buses, including the 50, 82 and 87 routes in Birmingham, Sandwell and Dudley following the A435 and A457 to cut through the traffic congestion and improve reliability.

The aim is to reduce traffic congestion by offering more reliable bus services as well improve air quality in the city and help towards the #WM2041 target to achieve a net-zero carbon region over the next two decades.

This is part of a major plan to connect more bus services across the region known as the cross-city bus network which, once completed, will see several bus services travel across Birmingham city centre rather than terminating there.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands and WMCA chair, said: “These works are part of our ongoing investment into improving bus services here in the West Midlands. We’ve already introduced a fare freeze to help with cost-of-living pressures, are working to simplify fares and are assisting operators with their efforts to renew their bus fleets including with zero-emission electric and hydrogen powered vehicles.

“Now, on Alcester Road in partnership with Birmingham City Council, we’re introducing new bus lanes and priority junctions to improve service reliability and journey times.

“This is just one recent example of our plans to develop many more priority bus routes in the months and years ahead as part of our unprecedented £1.3 billion investment in our transport network.”

Cllr Ian Ward, WMCA portfolio holder for transport and leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Anyone who uses the Alcester Road at busy times will understand the need to encourage more people to swap their private cars for more sustainable public transport. Not only to cut traffic congestion but also to improve air quality and cut our carbon emissions.

“That is why we are not only reopening the Camp Hill Railway line to passengers, but investing in bus lanes and priority measures. This work will allow our buses to cut through the traffic, making them a more reliable alternative to the car.”

Last year residents were consulted over plans for further bus priority measures on the southern section of Alcester Road between Moseley and Druids Heath.