The road that got the Black Country back to work

A century ago, the Black Country was in the grip of the depression after World War One.

But use of a relatively new invention - the car - was on the rise, and there was increased demand for travel between Wolverhampton and Birmingham.

A new highway - still known 100 years later as Birmingham New Road - was proposed to solve both issues, putting hundreds of unemployed men from the region to work.

Construction started in 1924 and culminated in the road's royal opening three years later - a far cry from the latest moves to make it more accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

In an era long before the M6 and M42 traversed the region, this road and the economic benefits it would bring were a national talking point.

It was one of the first major roads built to meet the needs of the motor car, aimed at relieving congestion on the A41 through town centres like West Bromwich and Bilston.

Known as the Birmingham New Road at one end and Wolverhampton Road at the other - or more prosaically, the A4123 - the route ran from the centre of Wolverhampton to the western edge of Birmingham.

The government had pledged in the Commons to fund half of the £573,000 it would cost (worth about £30m in 2024) with local authorities along the route making up the rest.

A contract was placed with construction firm McAlpine for the work with a commitment to employ workers from Oldbury, Rowley Regis, Tipton, Coseley and Dudley.

However, there is evidence that this commitment was not honoured in full, prompting anger in the area.

Local historian Chris Cooper, who has looked into the route's roots, said: "In view of the large number of unemployed, it was decided that a maximum of eight weeks would be allowed for each individual work contract.

"There is a long list of complaints to local councils along the route that this was not being adhered to and that McAlpine was bringing in workers from as far away as Scotland."

By summer 1924, 200 men were employed on the works, rising to 470 by March 1925.

The process was not without its hitches - Mr Cooper said the initial plans failed to account for the need for sewerage with a significant bill for that falling on local authorities.

Cutting through the Black Country coalfields, mine workings were a concern.

(Indeed in 1977, a sinkhole opened up on the road through Tividale, exposing the shafts below.)

Mr Cooper said mine workings remain a concern with modern-day works on the road, as some smaller shafts and ventilation holes had been capped without being accurately mapped.

The route also passed Bury Hill Park, forcing the removal or re-siting of several features like the park lodge and refreshment rooms.

But while bus speeds from Wolverhampton and Dudley improved, a planned tramway along the route never materialised - until the more direct route of the Midland Metro emerged to the east, 75 years later.

The opening by the then Prince of Wales - the future King Edward VIII - took place at the southern end of the road where it joined the Hagley Road in November 1927.

The economic benefits of opening up the area to travellers and new homes would last well beyond the construction phase.

At the time of its opening, Stourbridge MP Wilfred Wellock spoke in the Commons of the boost the road would bring.

"Before long, a large number of business houses will be established along the road, and there will be increasing custom, owing to the nature and the geographical situation of the road," he said.

"The improvement that has been made by the local authorities in that district will mean increasing custom for any shops that happen to be along the road."

While the road may not have the worldwide fame of Route 66 or the Champs Elysées, it has a place in the hearts of Black Country folk - whether it is memories of Scruples nightclub or describing a drive along it for a BBC Radio 3 series, like poet Liz Berry.

The road also played a starring role in the torch relay in June 2012 before the London Olympics, with a rolling road block in place as torchbearers carried the flame towards Birmingham.

While it is no longer a suburban bypass, it remains a key artery linking Wolverhampton, Dudley, Sandwell and Birmingham.

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