Exhibition visitors to benefit from new footbridge

Pedestrians and cyclists can now cross the A45 in Solihull via a new footbridge opened by National Highways as part of its £282m upgrade of Junction 6 of the M42.

The 92-tonne footbridge, which has a span of almost 60 metres, provides a route between Bickenhill and Catherine-de-Barnes, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham International railway station and Birmingham Airport.

Senior project manager Leyton Rahman said: ‘We’re keen to make sure that this scheme benefits the local community as well as motorists and this new footbridge will make crossing the A45 much safer and easier for pedestrians and cyclists.

‘The opening of the footbridge is a key milestone in the project and we’re making good progress on the upgrade of Junction 6, which once complete will make journeys much smoother for motorists.’

National Highways said traffic congestion and poor journey reliability have constrained investment and economic growth around the M42 at Junction 6 and that, having almost reached capacity, the junction has become a bottleneck, causing delays across the network.

It added that the project will support planned development by improving access to HS2, the NEC, Birmingham Airport and future developments such as UK Central Solihull.

Traffex 2023 takes place from 6-8 June in Halls 7 and 8 of the NEC.