Commuters and shoppers visiting Birmingham face a 24-hour lane closure at a major city centre gateway

From tomorrow (Monday 13th November) one lane at Holloway Circus will be closed around the clock. The move also coincides with plans to close one lane of Paradise Circus Queensway, from Sandpits to Suffolk Street Queensway, until next summer.

The work aims to provide a left turn only lane, from Bath Row / Holloway Head into Suffolk Street Queensway. Workmen are also installing additional traffic signals, upgrading two existing pedestrian crossing points and improving street lighting.

In recent weeks, a single lane has been closed between 9:30am and 3:30pm, Monday to Friday, but from 6am tomorrow this lane closure will be in place 24 hours a day. Buses which usually travel along Bath Row and Holloway Head (services 80, 80A, 98 and X64) will be diverted via Broad Street when travelling into the city centre. Halesowen resident, Hayley Morris, said:

"I work in the city centre and travel in every day, currently by public transport. I'm very excited about how good Birmingham will look after the work is complete but it seems ridiculous and thoughtless of contractors to shut so many arterial routes at the same time.

"I catch the bus to try and do my bit to save the environment and a bit of cash too, but it currently takes almost two hours for me to get from Halesowen to Colmore Row and the same heading home each evening.

"Closing more roads adds to the chaos."

Birmingham City Council is recommending that motorists trying to access the city centre from Five Ways should divert via Islington Row Middleway / Lee Bank Middleway and approach Holloway Circus from the south via Bristol Street. However many commuters have pointed out on social media that this route is often gridlocked now, let alone when other routes into the city are closed.