A busy Leeds city centre tunnel remains closed for roadworks despite the reopening of the major bridge above it.
The Regent Street flyover reopened this week after a two-year overall that saw both the southern and northern structures demolished and rebuilt.
Work began in May 2020, and on May 13 it was finally reopened with more than 120 metres of new bridge installed. The speed limit has returned to 40mph following two years of 30mph limits.
While the reopening will certainly ease traffic into the city centre from east Leeds, the works in this are are still not completed, with a busy tunnel still closed.
The New York Road off-slip will remain closed for further works, Leeds City Council has confirmed - but should reopen by the end of June this year. The huge roadworks scheme, designed by WSP and carried out by Balfour Beatty, have been carried out thanks to £31m investment as part of the Connecting Leeds transport strategy for the city.
Works on the road have been completed as planned through a £31million investment, with Balfour Beatty contracted to carry out the construction and bridge designed by WSP.
Before the pandemic, an estimated 43,000 vehicles passed over the Regent Street flyover daily while 30,000 vehicles passed below it on the A61.
Councillor Helen Hayden, executive member for infrastructure and climate, previously said: “We’re delighted to see the highway fully reopen to vehicles again, across this important scheme replacing a key piece of the City’s infrastructure. I’m pleased to see this scheme completed on schedule, after two years of very challenging work through the pandemic. The maintenance of this essential route is vital to keeping traffic flowing around the city.
“Throughout the project, there’s also been significant contributions to the local economy. For example, contractors have mainly employed local people, engaged with up to 2,000 local students about working in construction and the site team have volunteered 243 hours in the local community. This has been a fantastic effort and investment in our local communities. And it’s great to also see almost 100% of waste diverted from landfill, with 227 tonnes of CO2 saved on the project.
“We would like to thank everyone involved in working on this scheme, along with people’s ongoing patience, while this essential project was carried out. Although it’s great to see another project complete, we’re conscious that there’s still a lot of work taking place around the city at this moment.”
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