Portsmouth city centre transformation: 12 pictures show work to improve Commercial Road and create new Charlotte Street bus gate

What is happening to Commercial Road?

As previously reported, Portsmouth City Council is planning to improve a stretch Commercial Road by installing features like new seating, more planting, play equipment for children, new cycle stands, and a pavement graphic by local artist Angela Chick.

With funding from the government's Future High Street Fund, the authority plans to revitalise the road’s northern end – between Craswell Street and Lake Road - in a bid to make ‘a more vibrant, welcoming and greener city centre’. The project forms part of wider regeneration plans for the city centre, but Commercial Road was chosen as a point of focus following feedback from residents, retailers, market traders and community groups, the council has said. The project kicked off on Monday, January 8 and should be complete by the end of March. During this time, there will be some restricted access to the area, although shops will remain open. Changes will include new seating, more planting, play equipment for children, new cycle stands, and a pavement graphic by local artist, Angela Chick, following a local competition in collaboration with the council safer streets programme.

NOW READ: Commercial Road regeneration project continues

Why is Charlotte Street shut?

Alongside the transformation of Commercial Road, Portsmouth City Council is also creating a new bus gate. The creation of the new bus gate in Charlotte Street, which is a short section of road only buses and bicycles can use, started on Monday, February 5 and is planned for completion in May 2024. It is part of a multi million pound project to improve travelling by bus, walking and cycling across Portsmouth. The city council said the bus gate between Charlotte Street and Commercial Road North, east of Eden Street will enable buses travelling out of the City Centre to avoid other vehicles and provide faster journey times to passengers.

To the install the bus gate, the current pedestrian-only zone will be replaced with a new road. There will also be new footways and crossings installed to make it safer to walk here and there will also be improvements to the street lighting.

NOW READ: Work begins in Portsmouth city centre as bus gate is created

The works on the road will be carried out between 7.30am - 5pm with access maintained for loading vehicles. To minimise disruption, works on the footpaths will be carried out at night between 8pm - 6am, meaning that people can continue to access the Charlotte Street shops and cafes safely, the council said. Since securing £56m in funding from the government's Transforming Cities Fund (TCF) in 2020, Portsmouth City Council, Isle of Wight Council and Hampshire County Council have been working on improving bus infrastructure, walking, and cycling as part of the South East Hampshire Rapid Transit (SEHRT) programme.

You can find out more about the Commercial Road improvement scheme by visiting www.portsmouthcitycentre.co.uk/central/future-high-streets. To stay up to date with all the ongoing SEHRT works, visit www.sehrt.org.uk.

Here are 12 pictures of the ongoing construction projects: