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Camp Hill Flyover

Here is a photo of the Flyover being constructed for contrast. As it was constructed over a weekend and it opened on the 15th of October 1961 this photo must have been taken on the 13th or 14th of October 1961.

Phil

Bordesley Camp Hill flyover being built.jpg
 
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dated 1968

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The name of the Cranedriver was Billy Thompson and he was with J.J.Gallaghers for over 30 years i worked with Bill from 1974 till Gallaghers made us all redundant in 1994 when J.J. died.
Wal
 
hopefully a new photo for this thread..dated 1961

lyn
 

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Great set of photos of the last days of the flyover and the start of traffic chaos that seems to continue to this day, certainly anytime i'm in the area anyway!!


Simon
 
motorman-mike said:
A bit later Phil, it was built in 1968 and like Camp Hill was a 'tempory measure' but lasted until taken down in 1998. When this view was taken it still had two years to go.
Mike
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It was taken down in 1989 i worked with Gallagher for 25 years until they made everyone redundant in 1994. ......
 
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Walt

I think in the case mentioned by motorman-mike he was referring to the similar flyover constructed at Temple Meads in Bristol.
 
Here’s an image of Astonesses photo in post #39 without the Photobucket watermark. Viv.
 

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Myself and my brother had a business late 1990's/2004 adjacent to the flyover( Birmingham Blinds And Canopies ltd).
We were on the left of the up ramp, out of City direction. Next door was a firm selling/ making weighing scales, and a petrol station which was demolished later for the big modern motorbike shop which came there.
Bham University did a big archeological dig on site and one of the people told me tjhey had uncovered cellars of the old Fleet prison, from centuries earlier. I recall seeing walls and brickwork very deep in the ground.
There were several accidents at the flyover in our time. Most common were vehicles hitting the pillars, or the entrance wall after having a last minute change of heart about going over!
I remember one terrible accident when a car coming at very high speed from the Stratford rd direction hit a pillar head on. 2 injured badly and 2 dead, one thrown many yards through the windscreen and terrible sight.
Also saw a few confrontations on the top when someone came wrong way and refused, or couldnt reverse back out!
Also once saw a hippy type take his horse drawn contraption over, slowly, to the annoyance of many drivers.
What memories this Forum brings back, and how much the city i grew up in, which my family knew since the 1700's(nailmakers), has changed. I have to say not for the better.
However, i will never return, and being no great fan of "Diversity", and not wishing to be thrown off the site, i will leave it there.
 
I never saw the flyover. I was in Devon since 1954 (and RAF) and did not visit that part of the city on the couple of occasions I was up there. I guess it was an interesting experience for first time uses, especially HGV's and buses.
 
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