Work is underway for Cardiff's Canal Quarter project, with enabling works on site for the Churchill Way development now complete. The scheme is part of a wider plan to create a new Canal Quarter and is scheduled to take 12 months to complete.
Work on the project, which began in early February, has seen the removal of the central reservation on Churchill Way and the tarmac dug up, with the service and utilities that were underneath the road now diverted. Site hoardings are now in place so work can begin to bring back the dock feeder canal, funded by Cardiff Council. You can keep up to date with more Cardiff stories by subscribing to our daily newsletter here.
The plan, approved by Cardiff Council's cabinet in May, is set to see the opening up of the canal, a new green public space with rain gardens in place to manage surface water drainage, outdoor seating and an amphitheatre-style outdoor performance area. It's also set to create a new district in the east of the city interlinking Bridge Street, David Street, Charles Street, Tredegar Street, Guildford Crescent and Barrack Lane to develop a "high-density, mixed-use development, attracting homes, hotels, hospitality, high-quality offices, leisure and retail units," according to Cardiff Council.
READ MORE: Cardiff's canal quarter - how it looked in the past, what's there now and the exciting future
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While the project is underway, Churchill Way, north of North Edward Street will be closed to traffic. Large parts of the Dock Feeder Canal, which still exists 180 years after its construction, are buried underground. Currently, the length of the covered canal beneath Churchill Way is approximately 518 metres, with much of this set to re-open as part of the new plans.
The council has also announced a new cycleway on Station Terrace, wider pavements and improved crossing facilities around Cardiff Queen Street train station. A new improved junction between Adam Street and Churchill Way is also planned as part of improvements, with funding from the City Deal and Welsh Government.
Councillor Michael Michael, cabinet member for clean streets, environment and recycling, said: "The opening of the dock feeder canal and the new transport scheme will not only mark the beginning of a new district centre for the city and act as a catalyst for new investment, but it will play an essential role in managing traffic flow and surface water drainage in the city centre.
"A series of rain gardens will be built, with specific soil and planting to treat the surface water to remove pollutants before the water flows into the canal. This will ensure that 3,700 m2 of water will be diverted away from the sewage system each year, reducing the cost and energy of treating this water through the sewage pumping station at Cardiff Bay."
As part of the scheme, Station Terrace can no longer be used for through traffic. Only taxis and buses will be allowed to use this road in either direction in order to give buses priority to travel in and out of the new bus interchange on the east side of the city when it is open in 2023. Cardiff Council has said that access to businesses on Churchill Way will be unaffected by the works and the taxi rank will be moved to North Edward Street, where new electric charging points will be installed for the trade to use.
