Sinkhole in Sutton Coldfield Closes Main Road, Causing Traffic Mayhem
A sinkhole in Sutton Coldfield has shut down a major road, leading to weeks of traffic chaos for local commuters and residents.
Sutton Coldfield, Sinkhole, Traffic, Walsall Road, Severn Trent
Sutton Coldfield: So, there’s this sinkhole that popped up in Little Aston, and it’s been a real headache for everyone. It showed up weeks before Christmas, and folks are saying it feels like it’s just been left to rot. The sinkhole is right on Walsall Road, which is a busy route connecting Sutton Coldfield to Aldridge and Walsall.
Initially, they put up some traffic lights to manage the situation, but then they just shut the road completely on December 16. Now, here we are in January, and it’s still closed. They were supposed to reopen it by January 6, but that deadline has come and gone, and now it looks like it’ll be weeks longer.
One local resident, who didn’t want to be named, mentioned that the roadworks are making life miserable for commuters. He hasn’t seen anyone working on the site for ages, which makes it feel like the whole thing has been abandoned.
He also pointed out that the closure is forcing traffic through Little Aston village, creating long backups during rush hour. It’s especially bad on Little Aston Lane, where cars are getting stuck for ages. He said it was a nightmare before Christmas, with traffic piling up all the way back to the traffic lights near Pat the Butchers.
People are even taking detours through private roads just to avoid the mess. It’s been weeks since Staffordshire County Council found the sinkhole while doing some road patching for future work. It’s like Little Aston is forgotten, and the traffic is still a mess.
Walsall Road is closed because the sinkhole is considered a danger to the public, and Severn Trent is looking into it. The resident mentioned that both morning and evening rush hours are a struggle, especially since the traffic lights at Rosemary Hill can’t handle the extra cars trying to turn right.
He’s frustrated because every time he drives by, there are no workers on site, and it looks like nothing is happening. You’d think after discovering the sinkhole in mid-November, they’d have a plan by now to fix this busy road.
Another local said kids are having a tough time catching the bus since services were diverted away from Little Aston. Buses are now following the same detour as cars, which is just adding to the chaos.
It’s not just one person feeling this way; another resident from nearby Four Oaks also mentioned he hasn’t seen any workers and is worried the site has been abandoned.
The sinkhole is next to a Severn Trent Water manhole cover, and the utility company still hasn’t figured out what caused it, even after two months. A post on the One Network roadworks site says the road has been closed for ‘highways investigation works’ to dig down and check for any voids near the manhole.
Staffordshire County Council knows about the closure but says it’s a Severn Trent issue. A spokesperson from Severn Trent said they’re investigating to see if the sinkhole is linked to their network. They haven’t found anything yet, but they’re doing more checks and will keep the council updated.