'Gateway to town' reopens after a year of work

Lane closures on Midland Road, Bedford, will finish on Wednesday, Bedford Borough Council said

Two lanes of a "gateway" into a town are reopening nearly a year after work began to transform and regenerate the area.

Since August, one lane on Midland Road, Bedford, has been shut to allow for work to repave, widen and improve the road.

Anil Luthra, from Bubbly's Travel, welcomed the reopening but said construction had had an impact on every business in the area and most customers had "stayed away".

Andrea Spice, a Conservative at Bedford Borough Council, said the authority had worked really hard to "accommodate businesses".

Midland Road will reopen to traffic both ways on Wednesday, the council said.

Andrea Spice said completing the work was a "significant milestone in our efforts to enhance Bedford's town centre"

The improvement work was part of the "Midland Road public realm improvements", which has been paid for through the Bedford Town Deal, a £22.6m government investment aimed at revitalising the town centre.

Mr Luthra added: "Most of the customers stayed away, they don't come on this side, you talk to someone [they say] 'oh Midland Road nah, we're not going there because of the road closure'.

"It has affected every business a little bit here, the restaurant next door has suffered a lot."

The council said the work would create "a safer, more attractive, and welcoming environment for pedestrians, visitors, and residents alike"

Ms Spice, portfolio holder for economic growth, planning and prosperity, said: "There were parts of the town you could park and walk to, you might not have been able to park right outside, I appreciate that.

"I hope shopkeepers know we've tried really hard to accommodate them and their businesses.

"We have improved the pavement, we've re-laid it, it looks clean, it looks fresh, it's wider in parts.

"We've tried really hard to lift this part of town, which is a massive gateway for us because if you come off the train and you want to get into the town centre this is the road you walk down and this is your first impression of Bedford."

The council has upgraded street furniture and decluttered the street, it said

Samantha Laycock, chair of the Bedford Town Deal Board, said: "This is just the beginning of Midland Road's transformation."