The Department for Regional Development will start work on a number of junction improvements in Belfast city centre next week.

The improvements on Grosvenor Road/Durham Street and Hope Street/Great Victoria Street are part of the Belfast On The Move Transport Masterplan which will give higher priority to public transport, pedestrians and cyclists.

Work is due to start on 9 January 2012 at the junction of Grosvenor Road / Durham Street to the west of the city centre and will last around four months. These improvements will assist bus movements and access to the Glengall Street bus station by providing left turn facilities on the south side of the junction.

Hope Street will become a two way street and improvements to its junction with Great Victoria Street which will allow traffic to turn left from Great Victoria Street onto Hope Street, are also due to commence in January.

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This work, together with the installation of new traffic signals at the junction of Hope Street / Sandy Row / Linfield Road, will allow traffic travelling towards Grosvenor Road and Millfield to use Hope Street and Durham Street as an alternative to Great Victoria Street. Appropriate signing will be provided to advise motorists of the changes.

Lane restrictions and localised road closures at off peak times will be in operation while work is ongoing. This will cause some traffic delays and motorists should allow extra time for their journey if travelling through the area until May when the works are expected to be completed. Diversionary routes will be clearly signed and electronic signing will be erected at a number of key access points to advise of the works and possible delays.

Roads Service is also taking the opportunity to carry out important strengthening work to the footways over the Boyne Bridge during this time to keep traffic disruption to a minimum.

Further traffic management work is planned across the city centre over the next 18 months subject to the availability of funding and successful completion of the statutory processes. This work, part of the ‘Sustainable Transport Enabling Measures’ (STEM) valued at approximately £3.5million, will include the redistribution of road space to provide about 2.6km of new bus lanes which will also accommodate cyclists and taxis, the delivery of 20 new controlled pedestrian crossing points, 340m of new dedicated service bays, 1km of new dedicated cycle lanes and over 40 additional dedicated disabled parking bays.

(CD/GK)