A63 Castle Street Hull

[mehere]

I noticed that at long last the HA have published this scheme, it was in the same list as the A1 redhouse - ferrybridge though I assume its too much to hope that appears on the site now too.
anyway appologies if this has allready posted i didnt find another one.

Public to have their say on plans to tackle congestion on A63 in Hull
HIGHWAYS AGENCY News Release (YH/095/09) issued by COI News Distribution Service. 9 March 2009

Drivers and residents will have a chance to give their views on proposals to ease congestion and improve safety on the busy A63 Castle Street in Hull city centre when plans go on display at a three day-exhibition in the city.

The public consultation exhibition will take place at The Deep in Hull on April 2, 3 and 4 when two alternative improvement plans for a 1.5km (1-mile) section of the A63 Castle Street between Porter Street and Myton Bridge will be displayed. Both options - an underground and an overground option - involve significant realignment of the Mytongate Junction, currently one of the most congested sites on the route.

The exhibition is the focal point of a 12-week consultation on the proposals which starts today (Monday March 9).

The underground option would involve:

* Creation of a split level junction at Mytongate by lowering the level of the A63 under a new bridge which will carry both Ferensway and Commercial Road across the A63 at approximately the same level as they are now.

The overground option would involve:

*The creation of a split level junction at Mytongate by raising the level of the A63 on a new structure over both Ferensway and Commercial Road which will remain at approximately the same level as they are now.

For both options:

*The eastbound carriageway will be widened to three lanes between the junctions at Mytongate and Market Place while the westbound carriageway would remain at two lanes.

*New pedestrian bridges will be provided at Porter Street, Princes Quay Shopping Centre and Market Place to replace the existing pedestrian crossings.

*Alternative accesses will be provided from the A63 to the Holiday Inn Hotel, Spruce Road and Waverley Street.

Members of the public will be invited to give their views on the two options using a questionnaire. This will be attached to a leaflet explaining the proposals which will be available at the exhibitions and distributed to households and business across the city. Details will also be available on the Highways Agency website http://www.highways.gov.uk/A63castlestreet

Highways Agency Senior Project Manager Mick Spink said:

"We have looked very carefully at a number of options for the Castle Street improvements. All the options have been subject to close scrutiny and measured against strict criteria including benefits for all road users and likely disruption caused during construction.

"The two options we are putting forward offer the most significant benefits for Castle Street. Road users, local residents and businesses in Hull will have an opportunity to view our proposals, ask questions and give their views."

Representatives from the project team will be available at the exhibition to answer questions and discuss any issues.


Discuss........................

[Nic]

Artist's Plans and blurb can be found on pdf -

http://www.highways.gov.uk/roads/docume ... STREET.pdf

Locals can maybe answer this, but how much traffic will want to make the turn from Ferensway (S/b) to the A63 Westbound. Is this a lot of traffic. Will it get held up at lights. If so, is it any worse that at present?

[MJN]

I think a fair amount of traffic goes in this direction, but it's already a signalled junction.

[igro49]

how much traffic will want to make the turn from Ferensway (S/b) to the A63 Westbound. Is this a lot of traffic. Will it get held up at lights. If so, is it any worse that at present?

I think that for traffic from Ferensway s/b, it will be the same or maybe even slightly better. The current Mytongate junction from Ferensway s/b is mildly irritating. There are so many traffic lights on Ferensway s/b before the Mytongate anyway that the junction itself does not make a big difference.

Traffic from Ferensway s/b to A63 w/b is fair but not huge. A good part of traffic from Ferensway s/b heads to the retail park on the opposite side of the A63. Also, there is a convenient short cut from behind the retail park to the A63 w/b.

It is the A63 itself that can be really bad on approach to the junction from any side. Since traffic lights in Melton on A63 were removed a couple of years ago, the gridlock has moved to the Mytongate as the first traffic light on the way from M62 to Humber ports. Still, I am a bit surprised that the scheme is on the cards now, I did not expect it to start in any near future.

[Truvelo]

Why wasn't this done as part of the Hessle Road upgrade a few years ago?

[Haydn1971]

Why wasn't this done as part of the Hessle Road upgrade a few years ago?

Lost me for a moment then... you mean Hedon Road !

Hedon Road was "only" a £97M scheme, the Castle Street scheme at that time was just a bee in someones bonnet back when Hedon Road was been designed - Summer 2001 - it became more of a serious proposition in c2005 when the A63 got lumbered with extra traffic due to North Bridge Being closed.

I can see the Mytongate junction getting a makeover and Castle Street getting a third lane in each direction but I just can't see the cost benefit of popping the A63 in a tunnel under the river Hull ! its just pie in the sky and would be cheaper to move the Businesses based on the River Hull into the docks so the swing bridge doesn't have to open as often. BTW - water bourne traffic has priority over road based traffic, something to do with a royal statute from 100's of years ago !

[mwacuk]

When the A1079/A63 junction was originaly built (when hessle road was reclassified as the A63 and the old A63 reclassified the A1105) afaik it was meant to be GSJ but that was put on ice because of the burial ground that was protected slap-bang in the middle of it. If it can be done now, surly when this would have been built at the same time as the new A63, 70s?

Cheers

[wrinkly]

New exhibitions on the A63 Castle Street scheme.


I don't know whether there'll be any details beyond those at the last set of exhibitions before the scheme was put to sleep for a few years.

[Debaser]

The preferred option has been worked up a little more, including traffic modelling to ensure it actually works, and tweaking the alignment/minimising land-take where possible, etc. to get the best economics.

[igro49]

According to local press, it looks like the scheme is indeed going ahead.

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/A63-Cast ... story.html

[Truvelo]

This is the opposite of what other cities are doing.

[Stevie D]

This is the opposite of what other cities are doing.

Hull does have a particular feature of the only real route for HGVs to get to/from the docks and associated industrial areas being through the city centre, so it is particularly important that that route is prioritised for through traffic – building a bypass to the north or south is not practical, so that traffic has no choice but to use the A63/A1033. That generally isn't the case in most town and city centres where they are trying to discourage traffic.

[Truvelo]

At one of the awaydays many years ago someone brought a large scale planning map about 6 foot by 4 foot showing a northern bypass of Hull complete with GSJs. I've never seen the map posted on the forums nor remember who's map it was.

[Debaser]

According to local press, it looks like the scheme is indeed going ahead.

http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/A63-Cast ... story.html

Jesus wept...some of those comments.

You know I don't think anyone at the HA or the innumerable Consultants who've carried out studies over the years has ever realised there's a bloody great river 100 yards away. I'd better tell the design team tomorrow and hope they don't all pass out in shock.

And what's that? A burial ground? This just gets worse and worse. Looks like we'll have to start again. Whatever next, the potential for unexploded bombs and ****-poor ground conditions I suppose? That'll just about put the top-hat on it.

[wrinkly]

Investigations at Trinity Burial Ground

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/grou ... ial-ground

The National Infrastructure Planning site says formal submission of the application is expected in the spring.

[Jim606]

Now if my memory is correct didn't the last time they (tried) to build an underpass in Hull end in failure? Wasn't the A1033 Raich Carter way bridge over the River Hull originally planned as an underpass? & didn't construction actually start only to be later abandoned due to ground conditions?

[wrinkly]

Yes, it was half built but there was, IIRC, a lot of water ingress, and there was a pause of a year or two while it was redesigned as a bascule bridge.

[wrinkly]

Princes Quay bridge to go ahead:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/gree ... uay-bridge

Meanwhile the National Infratsructure Planning site says the application for the A63 scheme is expected to be submitted this winter:

http://infrastructure.planninginspector ... ment-hull/

[jackal]

I'm surprised to see that a new consultation has opened on this. They've apparently taken four years to make changes since the last consultation...

https://highwaysengland.citizenspace.co ... rovements/

[wrinkly]

Scheme accepted for examination by the Planning Inspectorate last week:

https://infrastructure.planninginspecto ... ment-Hull/

The HE scheme page doesn't seem to have been updated recently:

https://highwaysengland.co.uk/projects/ ... provement/