Boots Corner Disruption possible as work starts to upgrade crossing
WORK on revamping Boots Corner in Cheltenham started this week. The A46 junction of Clarence Street and High Street in Cheltenham is to be changed by Gloucestershire County Council, with work set to see the road fully closed for a short time next month.
The authority says the junction, known locally as Boots Corner, is getting some tender loving care, with a brand new set of traffic lights and pedestrian crossing planned.
It says the area has been due an upgrade, with temporary traffic lights having been in place since last year.
Officials say that happened when the equipment came to the end of its life and now a permanent replacement will be installed over the next seven weeks.
Mark Darlow-joy, the council’s highways programme and procurement manager, said: “This area of Cheltenham town centre has seen many changes in recent years and as the junction connects the two parts of the town centre, it was important that we thoroughly considered how to improve the pedestrian experience.
“We wanted the new crossing to be as
We wanted the new crossing to be as pedestrian-friendly as possible, which involves a more complex design Mark Darlow-joy
pedestrian-friendly as possible, which involves a more complex design and therefore has taken us a bit longer to put in place. We’ll be replacing the plastic kerbing with permanent kerbs and paving, which will not only look neater but will slow down traffic, making it safer and easier for people to cross.”
Work includes new tactile paving and a change to the existing kerb layout which, the council says, will tidy up the area, give pedestrians more space and make the crossing safer due to the crossing distance for pedestrians being reduced. The majority of the work will be done under lane closures so traffic can still get through, however the road will need to be closed for a short time. A full closure is planned for June 16 to 18 to complete the work, though the council advises people to keep an eye on its social media feeds nearer the time in case this changes.
Boots Corner was fully closed to general traffic for 18 months, between June 2018 and December 2019. The controversial trial scheme was the brainchild of Cheltenham Borough Council, which claimed it would make the area more pedestrian friendly. But it was not made permanent by the county council after many people said it caused more problems than it solved, with other roads in the town having to take extra traffic.