Hull City Council has given planning permission for work on the new £11.5m Princes Quay bridge near the city’s marina, but first an archaeological dig on site will try and find medieval defences against the Scottish.
The archaeological team, in partnership with Historic England, will start searching the area later this year to find defences that could date back to 1321 and were originally erected due to fears of a Scottish invasion.
[That’s right our rugby team are not the only group of muddy English looking for defences that can stand the test of time against other UK marauders (must we? – Ed).]
The finished bridge, which will link the marina with the southern end of Princes Dock, is due to be finished by Easter 2017 and forms part of a major Highways England project to upgrade the A63.
This wider one-mile scheme in Hull city centre will tackle congestion by installing a new junction at Mytongate and two new pedestrian bridges over the road, including the Princes Quay bridge.
A Development Consent Order application for the main scheme as well as traffic and environmental assessments are currently being worked on.
Transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: ‘It’s great news that Highways England will be able to construct the Princes Quay bridge in advance of the main Castle Street scheme and in time for Hull’s term as the European City of Culture.
‘The Government is investing a record £1.3bn in roads across Yorkshire and the Humber over the next five years as part of its long-term economic plan. Schemes like these will help build the Northern Powerhouse and create more jobs and opportunities for hardworking people across the region.’
Highways England project manager Jimmy Holmes said: ‘We will work hard to keep disruption to a minimum and will install the new bridge as quickly as we can. Discussions have already started with Hull City Council and Humberside Police about how the traffic is managed and pedestrian access is maintained during construction.’
