Improvements to Shrewsbury town centre to restart next week
Work to improve footways, crossing points, road signs, street furniture and road surfaces in Shrewsbury's town centre is set to begin again next Monday.
The work between Smithfield Road and Bellstone, encompassing Roushill, Mardol and Claremont Street, had been delayed due to the coronavirus health crisis.
On these streets new natural stone kerb lines will be constructed to provide wider footways and new pedestrian crossing points. The footways will be repaved with high quality natural stone materials.
Updated street furniture, and traffic sign upgrades are planned.
It forms part of the Shrewsbury Integrated Transport Package (SITP). Work began in February before being postponed to protect the health and safety of the workforce and the public.
Shropshire Council has been working with its contractor McPhillips Ltd to identify a revised working arrangement that takes into account coronavirus guidelines issued by the government.
As a result it is hoped that works could recommence, albeit at a reduced level, next Monday, April 27.
Extra precautions will be put in place and consideration will be given to minimising the impact of noise where possible.
Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “Alongside the upgrading of Pride Hill, the enhancement of Town Walls to Claremont Bank, and the recent facelift of the kerbs and paving on High Street, this work is key to improving the public and urban realm for Shrewsbury.
“The health and safety of the workforce and the public is our top priority, and I’m pleased that work can now start again, in line with government guidelines.
“Carrying out work now, whilst the town centre is currently quiet, means that any disruption to businesses and visitors once restrictions are eased or lifted will be minimised – which we hope will help encourage people to visit the town when they are once again able to do so.”
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The work will be carried out in phases, and is now due to be completed in early 2021.
Resurfacing of the roads will be carried out during the course of the year as each phase of the work is completed, to minimise the impact that a long period of road closures would have and enable work to be completed as early as possible.
There will be some short-term closures for drainage connection work, and on-street parking spaces and loading bays will be unavailable during the work.
All road closures as part of the scheme will be publicised in advance, and access to premises will be maintained.
The SITP work is externally funded, via the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership and developer contributions, and is focussed on delivering public realm, transport, cycling and pedestrian improvements in and around Shrewsbury.
