18/01/2013 - Permalink

Next phase of work underway to restore Shrewsbury’s northern gateway

Related topics: Community

Phase two of a £1.5m scheme to enhance Shrewsbury’s ‘northern gateway’ and improve access to the town centre is now underway. 

This work – which will take around 11 weeks to complete – will concentrate on the Castle Foregate corridor, and will include: 

  • Resurfacing of Castle Foregate.
  • Use of high-quality paving materials, with widened pavements, on Castle Foregate, Cross Street, Chester Street and the end of Smithfield Road.
  • Lighting of the railway bridge by the station to improve personal safety and appearance.
  • New and upgraded pedestrian and cycle crossing facilities on Castle Foregate.
  • Wider, shared-use pavements on Castle Foregate.
  • Installation of traffic signals at three junctions with new technology to optimise traffic flows.

To complete this second phase of work safely some road closures are needed.  However, as well as keeping these to overnight and Sundays, Shropshire Council will ensure that some other necessary road works such as repairs to the road surface at Castle Gates, and Severn Trent Water repairs at Dogpole, are carried out at the same time. 

These closures include: 

  • Smithfield Road westbound (Castle Foregate to Raven Meadows) on Monday 25 February and Tuesday 26 February, and Monday 4 March and Tuesday 5 March, from 7pm to 6am each night.
  • Cross Street on Sunday 3 March from 8am to 6am the following day.
  • Howard Street on Sunday 3 March and Sunday 10 March from 8am to 6am the following day.
  • Castle Gates, Meadow Place and Dogpole on Wednesday 6 March from 8pm, to 6am on Thursday 7 March.

In addition to these, there will be lane closures during the day, and although delays may occur from time to time, the full road closures have been timed to avoid the busiest times of the week. 

Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member responsible for transport, said:

“Phase one of this important project has already made a huge difference to the appearance of the Chester Street area, and I’m pleased that phase two is now underway.  This is a challenging site to work on so close to the town centre, but the council and our contractors will continue to work hard to minimise any disruption and maintain access to town for vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians.” 

Andrew Bannerman, local Shropshire Councillor for Quarry and Coton Hill, said:-

“No-one likes disruption, but I hope drivers will understand the reason for these temporary closures.  They offer an opportunity either to try a different route or a different mode of transport.  We are gradually making the town centre more pedestrian and cycle-friendly, and many people are taking advantage of this, as will the increasing numbers of visitors we are aiming to attract.  At the same time we are aiming to improve access to the town in several ways.”

The council is using their term consultants, Mouchel, to design and supervise the scheme. Construction work is being carried out by Fitzgerald Contractors Ltd. 

Shropshire Council has been successful in securing grant funding towards the Northern Gateway Enhancement Scheme from: 

  • Growth Point (Department of Communities and Local Government)
  • Local Sustainable Transport Fund (Department for Transport)
  • Connect2 (Big Lottery).