A new footbridge will soon stand proud over the A63 as part of a £355m project that is transforming Hull’s road network.
National Highways will install the city’s newest structure in March, providing a safe pedestrian route from Porter Street on the north side of Castle Street to St James Street on the south side.
The 37m-long footbridge is an integral part of the A63 Castle Street project, which aims to support Hull’s economic growth, improve journeys to and from the city centre, and help the ports to thrive.
The bridge is due to open to pedestrians and cyclists by April.
The bridge is currently being stored at the side of the A63
Fran Oliver, project manager at National Highways, the government-owned company responsible for England’s motorways and major A roads, said: “The new Porter Street footbridge, like the popular Murdoch’s Connection to the east, will allow pedestrians and cyclists to safely cross the dual carriageway and ease congestion on the A63.
“I would like to thank everyone for their patience while we have carried out this work since last summer. We’re almost there with our new emerald green structure, which has been welded together nearby and, once in place, I hope, like the rest of the Castle Street improvements, will have huge, long-term benefits for the city.”
How the A63 Castle Street will look once complete:
More than 500 cubic meters of concrete have created the 55-tonne footbridge’s foundation, and up to 140 tonnes of steelwork are to be used to create the ramp and stairs.
The bridge is currently being stored on site, ready for its installation next month
To ensure the structure is winched into its new home safely, there will be three weeks of overnight closures of the A63 between Daltry Street and Roger Millward Way from Monday 7 March to Friday 25 March.
- Week 1 (from Monday 7 March): The current temporary traffic management will be removed to allow access for the cranes that will be doing the heavy lifting.
- Week 2 (from Monday 14 March): The bridge will be lifted into place by a 200-tonne crane, while the two stair sections and seven ramp sections will be installed to the north of the A63.
- Week 3: (from Monday 21 March): The two stair sections and seven ramp sections will be installed to the south of A63 and the temporary traffic management will be replaced
All closures will take place from 8pm to 6am. In the event of high winds, the lifting operations will be rescheduled for safety reasons.
Keep up to date with the A63 Castle Street scheme via:
- The National Highways A63 Castle Street webpage.
- @HighwaysYORKS on Twitter.
- National Highways’ new interactive ECHO tool, where you can provide feedback to help improve the scheme.
