HS2 announces dates for three-week Kenilworth Bypass closure

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A 14,500-tonne box structure, which will carry HS2 under the A46 Kenilworth Bypass, is being built next to the road



A three-week closure of the A46 in Warwickshire will start in April, HS2 officials have said.

The Kenilworth bypass will shut to allow a 14,500-tonne box structure, which will carry the railway underneath, to be moved into place.

Locals previously voiced their frustration at not knowing when the closure was due to take place.

However, HS2 has confirmed the road will be shut from 20:00 BST on 11 April until 06:00 on 1 May.

Developers have also confirmed that following the works, lane closures will be in place on the north and southbound carriageways with a speed restriction of 50mph (80 km/h) until 31 July.

A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: "We recognise that the construction of the A46 bridge will have a major impact on drivers and we have planned the work to keep road closures to a minimum.

"By building the structure to one side and sliding it across during a solid three-week closure, we can avoid two years' worth of lane closures and speed restrictions – and get traffic moving again as soon as possible."

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Three-week A46 closure for HS2 'will disrupt town'



A three-week closure of a major road because of the ongoing HS2 works will be "very disruptive" for commuters and businesses, local residents say.

The A46 near Kenilworth was closed on Friday at 20:00 BST and will not re-open until 06:00 BST on 1 May, because a 14,500 tonne box structure needs to be installed as part of the rail line.

HS2 Ltd said the road was closed between the A45 Festival roundabout and A452 Thickthorn roundabout, with a signed diversion route in place, external.

However, business owners in the town said they were worried about the impact of the closure on their customers and footfall.

"Half-term is normally a great time... It's definitely quieter than it would normally be at this time," said Ashley Davis, owner of Morning Sunshine Coffee in The Square.

Mr Davis said the closure was affecting visitors and spoke of how it had resulted in staff members arriving 45 minutes late due to delays.

"A lot of it's just the stress of which way they are going to go, which way they are going to get to work and how long that closure is for really, the length of time it's going to take," he said.

"For a lot of the businesses, when we had the weekend closures recently, it was a huge loss in turnover and in footfall."

Charles Smith, who is retired and a regular at the cafe, said a lot of people in the town would be affected by "not being able to get in easily".

"It's very disruptive for the town because so many of the access roads into the town are affected and we're seeing it this morning, where there's traffic build up in places where there isn't normally that much heavy traffic," he told the BBC.

Sarah McCaffrey, manager at the Kenilworth Centre, said they had already seen "some change" in their room hire because of the works.

The charity-run centre, on Abbey End, delivers multiple family and community activities, include a youth club, pop-up cafe and playgroup.

"We won't know the full impact, you know we've only seen a few adjustments pre it closing, but we'll see how that continues over the next few weeks," she said.

Victoria, who runs Tree House Bookshop in the town, added most people were "quite worried" and the closure was a "big concern".

"We don't know yet the full impact as it's only just started, but people are very worried I think, both about the impact on commuters going to work, but also extra traffic through town," she said.

"I can't believe HGV drivers are going to take a 45-minute detour, rather than just come through the centre of Kenilworth."

Colin Lowther, from National Highways, said officers would be on standby so they could quickly attend and clear any problems that arise.

"We have free recovery on standby, the control room will be monitoring traffic," he explained.

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'HS2 road closures mean staff can't get to work'



A coffee shop owner has said he has been forced to reduce his employees' hours, due to ongoing disruption caused by the closure of a major A road.

The A46 in Kenilworth has been shut for more than two weeks to allow the installation of a 14,500-tonne box structure as part of HS2 works.

Ashley Davis, who runs the Morning Sunshine cafe in Kenilworth, said despite "forward planning" and staff leaving 90 minutes before their shift started, they had still been arriving late.

HS2 previously said it recognised the closure would have a major impact on drivers, but suggested that two years of disruption had been avoided.

Mr Davis said alongside disruption for his commuting staff, business had also taken a hit.

"It's so much quieter... we've had to reduce everything," he said.

"We're running now at about 60% of what we normally do and the kids clubs we've run through the Easter holidays were less populated as well.

"People have called to cancel bookings.

"I think they're avoiding travelling this way."

The road closure started on 11 April, just as the schools broke up for the Easter holidays.

A signed diversion is expected to be in place until 06:00 BST on Thursday.

The coffee shop owner said he expected the third week of the diversions to be the worst yet.

"With all the school traffic, it's going to be absolute gridlock," he said.

"People are hitting 40-minute delays and standstill traffic, which seems to be just outside of Kenilworth."

Once the works are completed, there will be lane closures on the north and southbound carriageways, with a speed limit of 50mph until Thursday 31 July.