City street problems unearthed

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Sunday, 17 July 2022 20:16

By Gavin McEwan - Local Democracy Reporter

A one-way street in Hereford will need to be re-made as part of plans to install a cycle “contraflow” along it.

The St Owen Street project is one of several improvements to central Hereford which have just been allocated funding to get under way.

For the contraflow, £126,000 out of a total budget of £700,000 will now pay for a consultation and selecting a contractor for the work.

However a recent survey of the street “identified the failure of the existing carriageway construction”, meaning the road “will need to be reconstructed before the project can proceed”, the council’s decision notice said.

The latest decision also gives £209,000 for improvements to High Town intended to reduce “ponding” in bad weather.

The adjoining Widemarsh Street gets an initial £130,000 out of a budgeted £715,000 for detailed design, surveys and initial materials, partly to address the tripping hazard from the street’s kerbs.

“All options for the enhancement of Widemarsh Street, particularly the kerb, are being explored,” the council said.

The decision also confirms an allocation of £123,000 out of a total budget of £320,000 for three “city trees” or moss air filtration structures, the first of which was installed in Eign Gate last month.

The projects are all part of the £6 million Hereford City Centre Improvement (HCCI) programme, half of which is funded by the Marches Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP).