West Midlands Adjusts Route 101 for Highway Work
Birmingham route 101 buses detour Friday for highway work on Nineveh Road from 9:30am to 2:30pm
Birmingham Route 101 Faces Friday Diversion
Bus riders on Birmingham's route 101 will encounter a temporary detour Friday as highway work closes a section of Nineveh Road in Handsworth. NX Bus West Midlands confirmed the closure will run from 9:30am to 2:30pm on March 13, 2026, between Soho Road and Boulton Road. The five-hour closure affects service 101, which connects Handsworth with central Birmingham and Oxhill Road.
The closure stems from scheduled highway maintenance work on Nineveh Road, a key corridor for local bus service in the Handsworth area. Transit officials said the work requires a full road closure during midday hours to ensure worker safety and project efficiency. West Midlands transport agencies typically schedule such maintenance during off-peak hours to minimize rider impact, though some disruption remains unavoidable. The agency didn't specify what type of highway work necessitates the closure.
Service 101 buses will follow a diversion route during the closure period. Buses heading toward Birmingham will divert from Grove Lane, turn right onto Soho Road, then left onto Boulton Road before rejoining the regular route past the Nineveh Road junction. Buses traveling toward Oxhill Road will follow the reverse path. Officials advised passengers to allow extra travel time during the closure hours, though they didn't provide estimates of how much additional time the detour might add to journeys.
The closure takes effect at 9:30am Friday and will last until 2:30pm the same day. NX Bus West Midlands confirmed service 101 will return to its normal route immediately after 2:30pm once Nineveh Road reopens. The agency said the temporary nature of the closure means no long-term service changes are planned. Officials didn't say whether alternative closures might be needed if Friday's work isn't completed.
Passengers traveling during the Friday closure should plan for possible delays and consider earlier departures if they have time-sensitive appointments. Officials said riders can check current service information through NX Bus channels, though specific details about real-time updates during the diversion weren't provided. Moovit provides real-time bus tracking and service alerts for West Midlands routes, helping riders navigate temporary changes and plan alternative journeys when diversions affect their usual stops.
