A new road that will improve journey times out of Leicester city centre will open for the first time today (18 October).
The new road – Savoy Street – will link Belgrave Gate with Mansfield Street. It is designed to provide a quick route out of the city centre for buses leaving the Haymarket bus station and form a new, improved route for pedestrians between the city’s two bus stations.
As part of the £4million scheme, which got under way last November, both Mansfield Street and Sandacre Street have been reconstructed and upgraded.
Buses, taxis, pedestrians and cyclists will be able to use the new road from Sunday. The current bus route along Belgrave Gate, Haymarket and Church Gate will close to all vehicles, creating an attractive, safe, traffic-free space around Leicester’s historic Clock Tower.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “This new road will improve bus journey times for passengers, but it also paves the way for the regeneration of a high-profile part of the city centre that clearly needs investment.”
“By re-routing buses onto Savoy Street, we will be able to remove traffic from the Clock Tower area and create a safer – and much more attractive – environment for pedestrians and cyclists.”
“This investment around the Clock Tower will be a boost for local businesses, and work to transform this popular meeting spot with high quality porphyry paving is already well under way, with work on the other streets in the area due to start in the new year.”
“Once they’re part of the city centre’s pedestrian zone, businesses on Haymarket and parts of Belgrave Gate and Church Gate should benefit from greater footfall and a much improved street environment – which could be a real boost for their business.”
The new road takes its name from the art deco cinema that opened on Belgrave Gate in 1937. Later known as the ABC, the Savoy was demolished by its owners in 2007 after lying empty for years.
A giant mural, inspired by the Savoy and two other long-gone venues on Belgrave Gate – the Floral Hall and the Palace Theatre – now provides a fitting backdrop to the new road.