Posted on Friday 7th March 2025
A major £1.2 million highways improvement scheme in Tamworth is progressing well, with the local community showing incredible support for the project and the hardworking crews delivering it.
The scheme, at the B5493 Aldergate and A513 Upper Gungate, is seeing the reconstruction and resurfacing of the road between Lichfield Street and Comberford Road.
Work also includes improvements to a section of Offa Drive along with repairs to kerbs, tactile crossings and ironworks in the area.
Over the last couple of weeks, crews have been working on the route between Lichfield Street and Hospital Street, replacing kerbs and drains, planing out the road and giving it a smooth new surface.
The project remains on track to progress to the third of five phases on Monday 10 March. This phase, which is expected to last two weeks, will see crews begin reconstructing the section of road between Hospital Street and The Railway Bridge.
Rob Pritchard, Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Support Member for Highways South, said:
“I’m so pleased to see the support local businesses and residents have shown towards our hardworking highways crews. It’s testament to how well our crews engage with the local community and how they go above and beyond to minimise disruption.
“We are making great progress, and the scheme remains on track for completion in May. Tamworth residents have been asking for improvements to be made on this key route, and I’m delighted to see these much-needed upgrades now well underway.
“I want to thank everyone for their patience and assure you that we will continue to provide regular updates as the scheme progresses.”
Businesses and residents have praised highways crews onsite for their helpful approach and efforts to minimise disruption. Feedback has highlighted how attentive the teams have been in assisting pedestrians and ensuring access is maintained wherever possible.
One standout example of community spirit has come from ‘Spudman’, a popular Tamworth business owned by TikTok star, Ben Newman.
Spudman delivered his famous loaded jacket potatoes to crew members working onsite this week – just one of the many ways local businesses have shown their appreciation for the team’s hard work.
Spudman said:
“These lads needed feeding so Spudman to the rescue. To show our appreciation, we brought some jacket potatoes down. They’re doing a good job fixing our roads.”
This project is part of a wider £45 million investment in the county’s roads over three years.
On top of that, Staffordshire County Council has recently announced up to an extra £15 million boost for highways in the county.
This money will pay for more crews to carry out repairs to potholes and drainage issues, a full preventative maintenance programme to help stop defects forming in the first place and targeted enforcement on landowners with drainage issues affecting the highway.