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Perry Barr flyover

Vivienne14

Vivienne14

Kentish Brummie Moderator
Staff member
I see that the flyover is being demolished. I remember going underneath the flyover every day on the #29 (#90/#91) bus. The bus would stop outside the Crown and Cushion, then head off towards the flyover. Being on a downhill gradient it would quickly gather up speed and (at what sometimes seemed like alarming speed) swing under the flyover to head off along Aldridge Road. Always a tense moment for me as I visualised the bus toppling over.

www.bbc.co.uk

Perry Barr flyover demolished in Birmingham

Some road closures due to the demolition will remain in place until Monday following the removal.
www.bbc.co.uk

What are your memories of the flyover ? Did anyone on here help to build it ?

Viv.

41C01515-7933-4031-A21A-448C4489178B.jpeg
 
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I remember the underpass being constructed very well as I was at Birchfield Road Juniors at the time and we were taken out to see the grand opening but, strangely enough I don't have specific recollections of the flyover.
 
I know what you mean ASparks. At street level it was really just a series of concrete supports. Underneath the flyover was featureless, empty space which traffic passed through. I think you may have been able to cross the road under there too, although I’d guess it was a bit risky. I must have travelled over it but can’t remember the details of doing so. Didn’t it lead to the motorway ? At the time, ‘flyovers’ were a traffic solution to several Birmingham roads, with one flyover looking very much like another I suppose. Viv.
 
My memories of the flyover led me the think about the others nearby and why they built them .... :rolleyes: .
At the start of the 1960s I bought a 250cc motor scooter and although I could weave through stationary traffic jams the one at Perry Barr slowed me down.
P1_1960small.jpg
P2_Birchfield_Rd_Going_North.jpg

In 1962 they built the Perry Barr underpass and I drove my motor scooter through it on the first night it opened in 1962. I was impressed. In 1964 I bought my first car and driving north used to whizz into the underpass but there was a problem. I needed to turn right towards the Aldridge Rd which meant crossing the city-bound traffic on the Walsall Rd. This caused traffic build-ups in the right lane of the underpass.

No problem - they built a flyover and traffic for the Aldridge Rd now used the underpass left lane to come out and turn right under the city-bound traffic on the Walsall Rd. The curve towards the Aldridge Rd was a bit sharp as shown below ..
P3_PBFlyover_1974.jpg

These underpasses and flyovers allowed me a fast drive into the city but there was still a problem ...Trinity Rd/Heathfield Rd looking like this.
Near_Trinity__Rd.jpg

Once again there was a solution ... build a flyover and I could now whizz along to a traffic jam at Six Ways.
Untitled.jpg

That was solved with the building of the Six Ways underpass.
Six_Ways1966.jpg

I could now drive my car at speed into Brum until approaching the Barton Arms. Life in a car seemed good!
:grinning:
 
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I remember the traffic before it was dealt with.

I often worked late in the evening undersealing new cars so travelled home maybe 9pm at times on the bus.

The bus timetable at 9pm was the same as the rush hour so although there was little traffic the bus just waited at various stops to kill time, a forty five minute trip that could easily have been done in half the time.
 
oldMohawk said:
My memories of the flyover led me the think about the others nearby and why they built them .... :rolleyes: .
At the start of the 1960s I bought a 250cc motor scooter and although I could weave through stationary traffic jams the one at Perry Barr slowed me down.
View attachment 152883
View attachment 152884

In 1962 they built the Perry Barr underpass and I drove my motor scooter through it on the first night it opened in 1962. I was impressed. In 1964 I bought my first car and driving north used to whizz into the underpass but there was a problem. I needed to turn right towards the Aldridge Rd which meant crossing the city-bound traffic on the Walsall Rd. This caused traffic build-ups in the right lane of the underpass.

No problem - they built a flyover and traffic for the Aldridge Rd now used the underpass left lane to come out and turn right under the city-bound traffic on the Walsall Rd. The curve towards the Aldridge Rd was a bit sharp as shown below ..
View attachment 152885

These underpasses and flyovers allowed me a fast drive into the city but there was still a problem ...Trinity Rd/Heathfield Rd looking like this.
View attachment 152886

Once again there was a solution ... build a flyover and I could now whizz along to a traffic jam at Six Ways.
View attachment 152889

That was solved with the building of the Six Ways underpass.
View attachment 152887

I could now drive my car at speed into Brum until approaching the Barton Arms. Life in a car seemed good!
:grinning:
Click to expand...
I used to work at Bakers butchers in oldMohawks first photo and later at Brooke Tool for my apprenticeship. What I remember most was all of the stores and lives that were changed because of it. Many that I worked with were not convinced that this was really such a good thing but I left in November 1962 and cannot make a judgement.
Great photos oldMohawk!
 
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