Roadworks set to begin as bus station work is progressing well
WORK on road improvements in the area around Leicester’s St Margaret’s bus station as part of its £13.5million overhaul are due to start next week.
Highways engineers will begin remodelling the junction of Burleys Way and Abbey Street from Monday.
It will involve a permanent end to traffic turning both right and left into Abbey Street from the inner ring road.
The project will also include the construction of a new “super crossing” over Burleys Way, which will replace the footbridge that was removed last autumn, and create space for wider footpaths and a new cycle track.
Construction work began earlier this month on the bus station to replace the city’s 1980s transport terminal. It followed months of demolition work at the site which saw the old building stripped back to a steel skeleton, which is being reused.
A spokesman for the city council, which is leading the regeneration project, said that most of the work on the surrounding streets will take place at night.
“Work will be carried out overnight to minimise disruption to traffic, and is expected to take around nine weeks to complete,” he said. “Short, well-signed diversions for traffic accessing Abbey Street will be in place.”
He added: “This will be the first phase of highway works carried out as part of the £13.5 million St Margaret’s Gateway regeneration scheme. The council will build a striking new building to replace the old St Margaret’s bus station and create more attractive routes for pedestrians and cyclists as part of a major scheme to revamp this part of the city centre.
“The initial stages of construction work on the new St Margaret’s bus station are now under way.”
The new bus station building will have glazed walls and feature a curved aluminium roof.
Bus passengers will benefit from a “completely redesigned and improved” internal layout - featuring a new café, better seating, modern toilets and real-time digital passenger information.
There will also be increased capacity for national and regional bus services, with the number of bays increased from 18 to 24.
City mayor Sir Peter Soulsby said the work will help strengthen and improve links between key development sites and the city centre, including the new Savoy Street, which will provides a direct link between St Margaret and Haymarket bus stations.
“The new bus station is an important project for Leicester and the start of its construction marks the beginning of a revival of this part of the city,” he said. “This investment will provide a huge boost for public transport, help regenerate a run-down but important gateway into Leicester.”