Second phase of station plans to begin

An aerial depiction of how the area will look following the work

Phase two of work to improve the area in front of Shrewsbury's railway station is to begin.

The work will see the replacement of old paving slabs, with traffic management measures put in place that include the closure of the right-hand lane outside the station.

At the same time, similar work will take place on a connecting road.

The project is due to start on 2 September, and it is hoped it will largely be finished in both areas before Christmas.

The work covers the western side of Castle Foregate, from the approach to Cross Street, through to Smithfield Road.

The second set of works will be undertaken at the wide paved area on Chester Street, near to the Smithfield Road bus stop.

It is part of a wider "station quarter" project being carried out on behalf of Shropshire Council, which is funded by the government, and expected to conclude by summer 2025.

Phase one began in June and saw the left-hand lane in front of the station closed.

"The project team has been working hard to mitigate the traffic congestion as much as possible – with a number of measures put in place – and this will continue throughout the construction of the scheme," said Dan Morris, from Shropshire Council.

He added that drivers should not drive through red lights at the temporary signals, as it caused the system to display red on all signals for a short time.

"This is a safety feature to allow any such vehicle to clear the area, but the knock-on effect is that the extended time for holding traffic only serves to impact on the queues.

"A few extra seconds on all red can have a big impact on flows."