Dozens of A roads in Birmingham need repairs, Department for Transport data shows

Dozens of Birmingham’s busiest roads are flagged as red and in need of repairs, according to data from the Department for Transport.

The government figures show 5% of A roads in Birmingham were put in the worst condition category – up from 3% in 2019-20.

And 3% of B and C roads were also in need of work.

The proportion of roads in need of repair in Birmingham is above the average across England with one in every 20 miles in need of repair - the English average is for one in every 25 miles in poor condition.

Council-run roads were surveyed in the 12 months to March 2021 and classed as “red” if they should be considered for maintenance.

The road examinations are largely done using scanner machines, which identify sections of road worn by use or affected by ruts, bumps or potholes.

However, the DfT said a different method was used in Birmingham, which means the area should not be directly compared to others.

The DfT said the proportion of roads in the red category is “stable” following a slight increase during 2019-20, but there has been no change since 2015-16.

Meanwhile the AA said England’s roads are stuck in a rut with motorists facing a “plethora of potholes” on their journeys.

Which Birmingham A roads need maintenance?

The scanner vehicles used to assess the condition of Birmingham’s roads produce a Road Condition Indicator (RCI) score for 10 metre subsections of road.

These scores are then categorised as red, amber and green. This means that the DfT can only specify whether a 10 metre section of road is categorised as red (should be considered for maintenance), not the entire road.

A map showing where these 10 metre sections of road were categorised as red, amber and green, has been produced by the DfT.

We’ve had a look at some of the A roads in Birmingham which are categorised as red - meaning certain sections of the roads should be considered for maintenance.

You can see all of the roads which should be considered for maintenance in the interactive map, here.

North Birmingham

• A4097, Kingsbury Road, Sutton Coldfield
• A4041 Queslett Road, Kingstanding
• A4040 Marsh Hill, Erdington
• A5127 Sutton New Road
• A4040 Resevoir Road, Erdington
• A38 Kingsbury Road, Sutton Coldfield
• A4097 Kingsbury Road
• A38 Tyburn Road
• A4040 Bromford Lane
• A4040, Aston Lane, Handsworth

Central Birmingham

• A4540 Icknield Street
• A457 Dudley Road
• A4540 Ladywood Middleway
• A456 Hagley Road
• A41 Warwick Road
• A4540 Watery Lane Middleway
• A4540 Ladywood Middleway
• Suffolk Street Queensway
• A34 Walsall Road

South Birmingham

• A435 Alcester Road, Handsworth
• A441 Pershore Road, Stirchley
• A38, Bristol Road, Selly Oak
• A441 Redditch Road
• A38 Bristol Road South, Northfield
• A4040 Fox Hollies Road
• A435 Alcester Road Kings Heath

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