20/03/2025 - Permalink

Update on work at Cross Street in Shrewsbury

Related topics: Highways, transport and environmental maintenance / Partner organisations

Work under the Cross Street tunnel in Shrewsbury will begin on the evening of Tuesday 1 April (rather than 31 March as previously advised). The tunnel closure will be in place from approximately 8pm to 6am each night until the morning of 4 April.

Subsequent night closures will then continue from Sundays to Thursdays (inclusive) through to the end of April, again from approximately 8pm to 6am.

This means that no work will take place on Fridays or weekends, to ease the impact of the works in the lead up to – and including – weekends, plus the bank holiday. This will enable resources from the contractor and site team to be planned appropriately.

These changes follow discussions between the council’s highways and public protection teams.

The work on Cross Street will include widening of the existing footpath, and construction of a new footpath under the bridge, for improved pedestrian access. It’s part of improvements to the station gyratory area.

In conjunction with the closure of the tunnel on the evening of 1 April, two-way traffic on Chester Street will be introduced – which is part of the permanent requirements of the project.

When the tunnel opens on 2 April, a  single lane will be in place under the tunnel, but the right turn on to Castle Foregate will not be available and:

  •  Traffic from Ellesmere Road wishing to access the railway station, town centre or Smithfield Road should use Chester Street.
  • Traffic from Smithfield Road or Ellesmere Road wishing to access the routes towards Heathgates or Howard Street will be able to turn left or travel straight ahead on exiting the tunnel.

There will be four nights early on in the programme when site activities are expected to be noisy. This will be due to cutting the road surface, plus breaking out tarmac and kerbs. This work will end by 11pm each evening and subsequent stages will not be as disruptive. There will be noise reduction measures put in place such as acoustic matting and noise levels will be routinely taken.

Deliveries of materials to the tunnel will be managed early on each evening to limit the need for late night deliveries of paving slabs or kerbs.

The ‘station quarter’ work – being carried out by local company McPhillips (Wellington) Ltd on behalf of Shropshire Council.