Pumping Station Upgrade to Reduce Flood Risk

Commuters using a major road into Birmingham City Centre can take comfort that the route, previously prone to flooding, will be less likely to be affected in periods of heavy rain, thanks to new technology installed by T-T.

The Birchfield underpass, which carries the A34 under Perry Barr, was the site of a major flooding incident in 2014 that saw motorists stuck in rush hour traffic jams following a pump power failure.

Birmingham City Council’s Highways partner, Amey, commissioned T-T to carry out a full site survey.  Following an inspection of the existing pumps and panel, T-T offered Amey the solution of replacing the existing surface mounted pumps with submersible contractor’s pumps, a new control panel and associated equipment to enable remote monitoring of the problematic site.

Amey proceeded with the installation of the new, more efficient and robust system, and a selection of Amey engineers completed training with T-T, to familiarise themselves with the pumps and monitoring equipment they now have on the underpass.

In May 2018, the new system was put to the test as the city once again bore the brunt of torrential downpours. Despite the high volume of rainfall in a short period of time, no problems were experienced at the Birchfield Underpass. T-T continue to work closely with Amey on the maintenance of this and other pumping stations around the city’s highways network.