The A63 footbridge
Murdoch's Connection.

Weekend work paves way for progress in major transport upgrade

A weekend closure will be in place for the A63 this coming weekend, as work to the major road upgrade continues.

Over the course of the weekend hoardings around Murdoch’s Connection, Hull’s new footbridge, will be removed in preparation for its eagerly-anticipated opening. Yorkshire Water will be rerouting the sewers to allow for construction of the new underpass, and Myton swing bridge is also being repaired. The bridge will be raised so engineers can replace a number of plates.

The weekend work, taking place from Friday 29 January to Monday 1 February, is also an opportunity for the central reservation hardening which has previously been done overnight, to be carried out during the day.

To complete the work as safely and quickly as possible, the A63 will be closed between Ferensway and Garrison Road from 8pm on Friday 29 January until 6am on Monday 1 February. Traffic will be diverted via the A164, A1079, Sutton Road and Marfleet Lane.

Highways England assistant project manager Fran Oliver said: “We are taking the opportunity to significantly progress the Castle Street scheme by making a number of important improvements. I want to thank people for their patience. By carrying out work during the day which would usually take place at night, we aim to reduce disruption for residents.

“We advise road users to allow more time for their journeys while this work is being done, and with that in mind we’ve worked closely with Hull City Council and East Riding of Yorkshire Council to minimise disruption to drivers on the diversion route.”

The £355 million Castle Street scheme, which will create a much better connection between the city centre and the retail and docks area, steps up a gear with a number of improvements starting at the end of the month.

The Highways England project will see the creation of a new junction by lowering the level of the A63 at the Mytongate junction, and is a key part of Transport for the North’s strategic transport plan.

Dale Crapper, project manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “This is a significant project for Hull and we’re pleased to be playing our part by rerouting the sewer network in the area.

“We are collaborating with Highways England to carry out the work on the A63 and will be using our expertise to overcome the challenges this significant project poses.”

All Highways England sites have strict safeguarding measures, in line with Public Health England guidance, to prevent the spread of Covid-19 and none of the sites are open to the public.

Commercial Road will be closed for three weeks from 1 February so Yorkshire Water can tap into an existing sewer that sits in the middle of the road. Several other pieces of work on the Castle Street scheme need to be carried out on the same stretch, so the decision was made to combine all the activity. In addition to the sewer connection a new gas main will be installed, as will new ducting.

For more information visit the Highways England website, email info@highwaysengland.co.uk, call 0300 123 500 and follow the Highways England Twitter account @HighwaysYORKS.

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