Work will start on site in January on the the new A45 South Bridge replacement scheme.

The current bridge, which dates back to around 1837, is used by 30,000 vehicles a day and serves as an important transport link to the many businesses in and around the area, including the NEC, Jaguar Land Rover and Birmingham Airport.

Due to its narrowness and age the bridge is no longer ideal for traffic in it its existing form.

It will be replaced with a new bridge with increased lane widths and an additional lane to improve traffic capacity.

Between January and December 2015, Carillion will construct an accommodation bridge alongside the existing bridge to allow for the route to remain open throughout the scheme.

Demolition of the old bridge structure will take place over a 54-hour period during Christmas 2015, with an expected completion date of August 2016 for the new structure.

North Midland Construction, on behalf of Birmingham Airport, is currently carrying out widening works on the A45 on both sides of the South Bridge ahead of its reconstruction.

These works are due to be completed in November 2014.

Mark Davies, Managing Director of Carillion Civil Engineering said: “We are pleased to have been awarded the contract to replace the A45 South Bridge and look forward to working closely with Solihull MBC to successfully deliver this scheme.

“The work takes place on a vitally important transport link in Solihull and we will work hard to minimise the impact of the work on local stakeholders and the travelling public.”