A63

Road designing company Balfour Beatty has received a £75m contract from the UK’s Highways Agency under the A63 Castle Street Hull Improvement Scheme to improve road access to the Port of Hull.

The 1.5km scheme will involve the conversion of an interchange into a split-level junction with a two-lane dual carriageway, which will aim to ease traffic.

The heavy east-west traffic will be carried below the north-south traffic with a new 400m underpass.

Two new bridges linking the south and north of the city, which will be used by pedestrians, cyclists and disabled users, are also part of the scheme.

"This is all about meeting the needs of a major growing city, creating jobs which will benefit the economy for years to come."

Under the contract terms, the company will work on detailed design and development, as well as assist with the statutory consultations for improvements. The construction work is scheduled to start by 2017.

UK Roads Minister John Hayes said: "This proposed major improvement scheme for Castle Street, which comes as part of the UK Government’s record investment in roads, is great news for Hull’s drivers, pedestrians and cyclists, who will see dramatic and positive changes to their journeys.

"This is all about meeting the needs of a major growing city, creating jobs which will benefit the economy for years to come."

Balfour Beatty UK chief executive officer Nicholas Pollard said: "This award to improve journey times on the main route through Hull builds upon our 20-year portfolio of work for the Highways Agency."

Image: A63 Castle Street Hull. Photo: courtesy of Balfour Beatty.