Work at Cross Street, Shrewsbury, to be carried out overnight to minimise disruption
Initial plans to close Cross Street in Shrewsbury for six weeks, as part of improvements to the station gyratory area, have been updated.
The road was due to be closed, both day and night, from 27 March [2025] to facilitate the improvement works, which include widening of the existing footway, and a new footway constructed under the bridge, for improved pedestrian access.
Following concerns raised about the impact such a closure would have on commuters, residents, businesses, transport operators and people visiting the town centre, a number of alternative options have been considered to minimise the overall closure period and to keep traffic flowing, as far as reasonably practicable.
Following these discussions, Shropshire Council has agreed to modify the plans, to enable works to proceed under a night-time closure, which mitigates the impact on day time traffic, bus services and access to the train station.
Under the revised plans, subject to approval from environmental protection officers, the road will be closed from 31 March from 8pm through to 6am to allow for the full extent of the new paving work to be constructed safely. The previously published diversion route will also be in place during these hours and works are expected to take approximately five weeks to complete.
The closure will be removed each day from 6am ahead of the morning peak traffic flows and movement of bus services into the area.
Footpaths will be closed for the duration of the closure, due to insufficient space for construction equipment and pedestrians. An alternative route will be signposted via Chester Street and Castle Foregate (adjacent to the station).
The nature of the work will initially create noise whilst existing kerbs and road construction is broken out and these operations will be limited to time periods approved by the environmental protection team.
There will be engagement with businesses and residents in the immediate area by way of email and letter drops and additional information will also be posted on the project web pages. The site team will also continue to engage with the public, residents and businesses in the area on a personal level.
The project includes a change to two-way traffic on Chester Street and a ‘no right turn’ from Cross Street on to Castle Foregate. Traffic from Ellesmere Road and Smithfield Road will therefore not be required to travel along Cross Street to access the train station or the town centre.
Traffic from these routes into the area will be able to access the train station, the town centre and Smithfield Road via Chester Street. Once the works in Cross Street are completed, this arrangement will remain in place through to completion of the project, and additional signage will be installed to direct traffic movements accordingly.
Shropshire Council will also continue to work closely with the Big Town Plan Partnership, Shrewsbury Movement Strategy team, and Active Travel England to ultimately deliver the new cycleway infrastructure that is proposed from New Park Road (Canal Path), through Castle Foregate and along Castle Gates (to Windsor Place).
Works are continuing with the crossing points at the Castle Foregate/Smithfield Road junction currently being addressed since the completion of work at the top of Chester Street – with this work enabling Chester Street to become two-way from the bottom of Coton Hill to Smithfield Road.
Officers are also in discussions with Network Rail and other organisations regarding the refreshing of the tunnel and bridge areas, with the intention to include feature lighting and artwork to enhance these particular gateways to the gyratory area.
During this next phase of work, congestion in the area is likely whilst the closure is in place. The site team and Shropshire Council will routinely monitor the impact of the work – which is a key component of the overall project – and consider/action mitigations where appropriate.
Shropshire Council thanks people for their patience and understanding whilst work is being carried out. Every effort will be made to complete the works promptly, and road users are asked to use alternative routes or modes of travel – or avoid the area – if at all possible.
The council will also continue to actively monitor and assess other planned work in Shrewsbury to keep main routes free from any further traffic lights or road closures if possible.
The ‘station quarter’ work – being carried out by local company McPhillips (Wellington) Ltd on behalf of Shropshire Council – is Government funded and is set to be completed by summer 2025.
