After months of lobbying the Government on behalf of residents in Hull, Emma Hardy, MP for Hull West and Hessle and Cllr Martin Mancey, Hull City Council’s Portfolio holder for Economic Investment, Regeneration and Planning today welcomed the announcement that the permanent bridge will be built in advance of the main Castle Street improvement.
Emma met with Transport Secretary Chris Grayling last week and was yesterday informed that after meeting with Highways England they have agreed that the date of the building of a permanent bridge will be de-coupled from the rest of the scheme and brought forward to the end of 2018.
Grayling’s office was unable to confirm any further details on the major improvement of the Mytongate junction and did not offer the ‘no more delays’ guarantee that Emma and Cllr Mancey have campaigned for.The most recent Highways England announcement was that this key junction improvement would commence in early 2020. Emma and Cllr Mancey will now meet with Highways England on the 28th November to press for no more slippage on this vital scheme.
Commenting on the announcement, Emma said:
“This development is key to the continued economic growth of the Hull and Humber region and so this news is welcomed. Hull has seen vast economic investment since it gained City of Culture status and Siemens built its green energy hub in the city. With regional devolution, Hull will also continue to grow as a port which will be crucial in the development of this region and the country.
“The investment into the Castle Street Development will more than pay for itself and ensure Hull continues to grow and build the economy of the United Kingdom.
“After I met with Chris Grayling last week to press him on this issue, It is also fantastic to hear that the building of a permanent bridge has been brought forward as this will definitely help alleviate some of the traffic and health and safety problems. However there has been no announcement or confirmation on whether the rest of the project will be delayed further. This is something I asked the Government about at our meeting last week.
“While the announcement that the bridge has been brought forward is a major step in the delivery of this essential improvement it is by no means the end of the road and I will continue to press both the Government and Highways England to ensure that they stick to the plans they’ve laid out today and the programme for the remainder of the main scheme they previously committed to.”
Councillor Mancey, commenting on behalf of Hull City Council said:
“After years of lobbying successive Secretaries of State I am relieved that we have, at last, gained a commitment to the timetable for the construction of the footbridge. This is an essential part of the infrastructure connecting the city centre to the newly emerging and highly successful regeneration of the fruit Market. It is disappointing that it has taken so long for the government to acknowledge the importance of this bridge but at least we now have a firm date for construction to commence. We must now maintain the pressure on Highways England and the Secretary of State to deliver the rest of the scheme without further delay.”