TfL improvement works at Brent Cross flyover Staples Corner

The Brent Cross A41 flyover and the interchange at Staples Corner will undergo a major renewal project led by Transport for London to improve the condition and safety of the key transport link.

More than 120,000 vehicles use the interchange daily and a Brent councillor has long raised concerns about the ageing infrastructure at Staples Corner.

Tariq Dar MBE, councillor for Cricklewood, posted on the Next Door app: "I have been raising concerns about the deteriorating condition of the Staples Corner roundabout and flyover for many years.

"I am pleased that TfL has finally agreed to carry out improvement works."

The first £10.8 billion phase of the scheme will repair the A41 flyover at Brent Cross. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The project will focus initially on renewing the A41 Brent Cross flyover the North Circular road which has operated under a 7.5-tonne weight restriction since October 2022.

Earlier this year, TfL secured £10.8 million from the Department for Transport to begin the first stage of the scheme and enabling works will begin later this month, with the main upgrade works scheduled to commence at the end of September.

A letter from TfL posted by Cllr Dar describes the plan as a "multi-year project to repair and renew the Brent Cross interchange — including the A41 Brent Cross flyover, to improve safety and the condition of the structures."

The interchange is part of ongoing regeneration efforts in the area, including the new Brent Cross Town neighbourhood and Staples Corner developments, which are expected to deliver up to 8,900 new homes and 26,000 jobs in the coming years.

In addition London's first American-style out of town shopping centre is set for a facelift as it celebrates its 50th year.

Cllr Dar added: "Staples Corner is a gateway to Wembley, Heathrow, and Central London, and it should be a welcoming and well maintained reflection of our community."

Staples Corner is named after a mattress factory that stood on the site until the 1980s. (Image: Wikimedia Commons)

The TFL letter reads: "Brent Cross is one of London’s most important road structures with over 120,000 vehicles and significant economic and commercial traffic using it every day.

"It's vital that we renew it. The structures that form the flyover support around 18 bus routes carrying 10,000 passengers per day, and are essential to the continued regeneration of Brent Cross and Staples Corner, where up to 8,900 new homes and 26,000 jobs are planned."

It added that renewing the structures will help avoid around £1.7bn of economic impacts over 60 years from future restrictions and closures.

Once the flyover works are complete and the weight restriction is lifted, attention is expected to turn to the mid-level roundabout and A406 slip roads.

TFL will begin wider communications later this month to keep residents, commuters, and nearby businesses informed about travel advice and project updates.

They also confirmed the recent closure of the Brent Cross footbridge beneath the flyover on safety grounds. A signed diversion is currently in place, with further updates to be provided as the project progresses.

Staples Corner is named after the Staples Mattress Factory which occupied a building at the junction from 1926 until 1986.

The site was caught up in a Provisional IRA bomb blast in 1992 when a van packed with explosives was detonated at the road junction causing severe damage to nearby buildings and roads.