Through the Transporting Bedford project, Bedford’s High Street is set to have a high quality regeneration makeover, becoming one lane only for traffic permanently and creating more space for shoppers and pedestrians.

Bedford’s High Street has been one lane for a number of months now, with temporary barriers put in place to help people social distance during the coronavirus pandemic.

Under this new permanent scheme Bedford High Street will see a different road layout with wider pavements on both sides of the road.  Works are due to start in February with Bedford Borough Council stating they expect work to be complete by the end of November 2021.

Bedford Borough say they have planned for the works to be undertaken in stages so that the whole road will not be closed at once and the work is being carefully planned with businesses to maintain access. The length of the road from St Peters Street to Mill Street will be closed from February until July, with this length then re-opened and the southern half of the street down to the Embankment then closing and that signed diversions will be put in place. Part of the work includes permanent loading and short term parking bays with the aim of helping high street businesses to attract shoppers who should also be encouraged by wider pavements and a 20mph speed limit.

Conservative Councillor Phillippa Martin-Moran-Bryant welcomed the scheme as “Much needed to re-energise the High Street, I also seek assurances the Council will remove as much through traffic as possible by better edge of town signposting. My fear is that there will be gridlock in the roads around the High Street unless much more of this through traffic can be removed.”

For further information, please visit www.bedford.gov.uk/HighStreetroadworks