City reacts to long-awaited A63 underpass opening

The new underpass on the A63 in Hull city centre will open a day earlier than expected, National Highways has confirmed.

Work started in 2020 on the £355m Castle Street project to build a new split-level junction that involved lowering part of the busy road through an underpass.

It had previously been expected to open on Monday 23 March, but will now open 24 hours earlier between 04:00 and 06:00 GMT on the Sunday.

Ruby Sharp, 19, said her daily commute had been "ridiculous" due to the roadworks but was expecting to see journey times improve for everybody.

She added: "Where I commute from, it should only take 30 to 35 minutes, but it has taken up to an hour because of this.

"It's been ridiculous, especially getting out of Hull during rush-hour traffic.

"Hopefully, this will help everybody."

Rob Sykes, 35, said it had been a "long time coming".

"It's been delayed a lot of times - [with] a lot of people getting quite cynical about it ever getting finished, but hopefully it should sort out a lot of traffic problems," he said.

"It should be easier for people to get into the city centre, and bring more people into Hull. It's just good for the region in general."

Anita Pace, managing director of Pace Communications, which is located nearby, said she was happy the road was finally opening, but was not convinced it would be a solution for traffic in the city.

"I do worry it is a sticking plaster over the problem," she said, adding the main problem was there was only one road in and out of the city.

"It only takes one vehicle to break down, or for an accident, and the whole city grinds to a halt," she added.

"It's nobody's fault, but we just need to collectively come up with a better solution."

Tim Jackson, owner of TJ Sheds and Summerhouses, said his business had seen a large drop in footfall during the works, and had moved to online selling to mitigate the impact.

"That is not what we are looking for because we like people to come to the site and see our products and speak to our staff," he said.

"Obviously, the work has been going on a lot longer than it was meant to, and I think that has just impacted the fact people haven't been coming."

He said he was hopeful the business could now "get back to where we were before", with more customers visiting in person.

The scheme has taken part of the A63 underground, allowing for Ferensway and Commercial Road to meet at street level.

Work was originally due to finish by April 2025, but that was delayed by a year due to "extremely challenging ground conditions".

Senior project manager Fran Oliver previously said: "This eagerly anticipated new road layout will increase connectivity between the centre of the city and the port and other leisure activities, boosting the local economy and tourism.

"We appreciate everyone's patience and understanding as we've worked to get to this significant milestone."

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