Charlotte Street: Work begins in Portsmouth city centre as bus gate is created in to improve transport links

Contruction workers have begun digging up the pedestrian area - just off Commercial Road - which is set to be replaced by a new road. 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.

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.

Councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, cabinet member for Traffic and Transportation at Portsmouth City Council said: "As more people are choosing to travel by bus in and around the city, it's important that we continue to invest in the infrastructure to provide the best journeys possible. This is going to be an exciting year for bus travel in Portsmouth with the launch of 24/7 bus services and faster journey routes through the City Centre funded through the Portsmouth Bus service Improvement Plan. Once complete, all of these improvements under the SEHRT project will work together to make it easier for people to get to and from Portsmouth and surrounding areas by bus, bike and walking. This will make it simpler for people to choose healthier ways to travel whilst helping to reduce congestion."  

Information on all the SEHRT works ongoing can be found at www.sehrt.org.uk.