A key flyover bridge on the inner ring road in Leeds city centre is to be rebuilt in a major £30m project starting in May.
The Regent Street Flyover, which was originally built in the late 1960s, is to be replaced with a new enhanced structure to ensure traffic flow can continue on the key route through the city centre for decades to come.
Leeds City Council said damage from road salt and poor construction details typical of 1960s construction have necessitated the need for this work.
The improvement is part of long-term transport strategy Connecting Leeds, which involves a number of schemes designed to transform travel in the area.
An estimated 43,000 vehicles pass over the bridge every day while 30,000 vehicles pass below it on the A61, said Leeds City Council.
The work, which is scheduled to be completed in spring 2022, will reportedly involve 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.
Leeds City Council chief officer, highways and transportation, Gary Bartlett, said: “We are conscious that there are a lot of works taking place in and around the city at the moment and we are keen to give advance notice and information about the work to enable better journey planning and to promote alternative and more active forms of transport.
“We would like to apologise in advance for any inconvenience that this work may cause however, we would also like to stress to people that this work is absolutely vital to ensure the bridge remains safe for road users.”
