About the works

About the works

Where is Regent Street Flyover?

Regent Street Flyover was built in the late 1960s and carries the A64(M) Inner Ring Road (IRR) over the A61 Regent Street. The flyover is a key part of the Inner Ring Road allowing traffic to move across the city without travelling through the city centre. The A64(M) and A61 combined are used by 70,000 vehicles per day.

Why do we need to undertake works?

The flyover is made from reinforced concrete which is now deteriorating due to damage from road salt and poor construction typical of 1960’s buildings. This includes some of the critical load bearing parts of the structure that hold up the Inner Ring Road above. Leeds City Council has undertaken regular and extensive monitoring of the condition of the flyover, managing it in line with national standards to ensure public safety.

The condition of the flyover means it now needs significant work in order to ensure public safety. Our extensive feasibility work has shown that the most cost-effective and beneficial solution is to replace the existing structure with a new one.

Over the next 5-10 years, Leeds city centre will be the focus of major changes through a series of projects to transform public transport, public spaces, pedestrian and cycle routes. These changes will have significant benefits for everyone who lives in, works in or visits the city. The reliability of Regent Street Flyover is fundamental to the resilience of the highway network both during construction of this extensive programme of works in the city and longer term in ensuring the city centre is prioritised for essential access and sustainable modes of transport.

This video shows exactly how the work will be undertaken.

When will the works take place?

The scheme commenced on site mid-May 2020. The construction phase is expected to take up to two years with the completion in spring 2022.

What will the impact on traffic be during the works?

While some delays will be inevitable during construction the works are vital to ensure the flyover remains safe for road users. We will continue to work with bus operators to ensure that buses can continue to operate effectively throughout the work. We are kindly asking people to plan ahead and check routes before they travel. The design team is working closely with the contractor and key stakeholders to plan appropriate, and responsive, traffic management and diversions to minimise the potential impact of the works on traffic, bus service routing and local businesses. These measures include:

The use of advance warning signs on strategic routes into the city to inform people of the works and raise awareness of the potential delays. This will allow people to plan their necessary journeys, thinking about different routes, travelling at different times, and thinking about different modes of travel including bus, rail, cycling and walking.

Phasing the works to maintain the A61 Regent Street at full capacity for the majority of time and the A64(M)/A64 Inner Ring Road at 50% capacity (temporary reduction from four lanes to two using contraflow; see below from June 2020 to works completion.

A proactive communications strategy promoting alternative, sustainable travel options while maintaining awareness that Leeds is open for “business as usual.”

Leeds City Council, West Yorkshire Combined Authority (METRO) and bus operators will work collaboratively to limit impact on services through the promotion of public transport usage which could reduce the numbers of vehicles on the network.

What closures and diversions will be in place?

The New York Road Tunnel and St Mary’s Street will be closed for the duration of the works.

The two-way flow of traffic has been moved to the westbound carriageway and onto the newly constructed southern bridge, with the eastbound carriageway closing to all traffic from North Street to Burmantofts Street.

Diversion routes and information about the contraflow can be downloaded from the plans page or downloade d here The final phase of work is set to start soon on the Regent Street Flyover project which will see the installation of the northern bridge beams. The northern bridge beam installation will require a series of consecutive night closures of the A64(M)/A64 and A61 which are planned from 20 November for eight nights, with a further two weeks of A61 night time closures required to install support systems and form work. The times of these closures are as followed:

20 November – 28 November; A61 and A64(M)/A64; during the hours of 8pm (A61) and 10pm (A64(M)) to 5:30am.

29 November - 12 December; A61; during the hours of 8pm to 5:30am. Any opportunity to safely reduce the duration and number of closures will be taken.

So that you can be prepared and try to limit any impact on your journeys, you can:

sign up for our newsletter .

find out about traffic incidents by following on twitter at @connectingleeds.

avoid travelling during peak times and consider more active forms of travel if you can.

Pictures showing the southern bridge beam installation can be seen below:

Further information

Information on the proposals, including plans and images of how the flyover could look can be seen on the plans page.

If you need further information on the works including how it will impact you, contact the project team on RegentStreet@leeds.gov.uk or 0113 395 6300.

The Regent Street Flyover scheme is in line with Leeds City Council’s Best City priorities as set out in the Best Council Plan 2019/20 – 2020/21 delivering sustainable infrastructure and inclusive growth.

Sustainable Infrastructure:

Delivers renewed and reliable infrastructure, reducing maintenance needs, and the cost and congestion associated with managing condition-related risks on the Inner Ring Road.

Delivers improved resilience of this key element of the city’s infrastructure.

Through the wider Meadow Lane, Bishopgate Street, Armley Gyratory, Regent Street and City Square (MBARC) combined programme, facilitates a reduction in through traffic in the city centre, City Square and around the train station.

Inclusive Growth:

Delivers the major regeneration of dated and deteriorating highway infrastructure.

Boosts the local economy through social investment and locally-sourced workforce.

Facilitates business rate growth and entices new investment by upgrading public infrastructure.

Delivery of the scheme facilitates improvements to key public spaces within the city centre core, through the wider MBARC programme.