£30m works on major Leeds road needed ‘urgently’

Leeds City Council decision-makers are set to meet next week to discuss plans to spend more than £30m revamping the Regent Street flyover.

Although the work is yet to gain the approval of the Department for Transport, a report by council officers claims the road is in such a state of disrepair, design work needs to take place now regardless of the DfT’s decision, expected to be made in the summer.

The road, which is said to have been damaged by years of salting and a bad original design, is expected to be rebuilt, and finished in 2022.

The report stated: “Regent Street Flyover is in need of urgent and significant intervention to maintain its operational effectiveness.

“Subject to the approval of the proposed procurement method for the works and authority to spend £31m, construction is expected to start on site in spring 2020 and last for two years.

“In addition, the complexity and strong interdependencies between Regent Street and other individual projects are such that there is a high risk of scope overlap, abortive works and dissonance should they continue to operate

autonomously.”

In February this year, the council injected funding of £23m to add to an existing £8m, totalling a £31m package of funding.

An estimated 43,000 vehicles pass over the bridge every day, while 30,000 vehicles pass below it on the A61.

The work, which is scheduled to be completed in spring 2022, will involve some overnight and weekend closures. The A64 (M) and A61 will remain open during the majority of the works, although their capacities will be temporarily reduced from four lanes to two. The A61 Regent Street will maintain its current capacity of four lanes under the flyover throughout.

The report is set to be discussed at a meeting of the Leeds City Council executive board on Wednesday, April 22.