THE full closure of Gibbet Hill Road to allow for works that it is hoped will ease congestion around Warwick University cannot be avoided, city council bosses have said.
Sections of the road will be closed, meaning there will be no through access from Monday, June 23 until the beginning of October.
It is to allow for a series of road works including a new roundabout near to Warwick Arts Centre where a bus interchange is to be created as well as a roundabout at the Gibbet Hill Road-Kenilworth Road-Stoneleigh Road junction and the introduction of traffic calming measures including a 20mph zone.
The closure has been planned to coincide with the university summer holidays and is the latest in a string of high profile road works around the city to begin this year.
“If we tried to keep the road open, the works would take very much longer and would cause significant disruption over that longer period,” the city council’s assistant director of transport and highways Colin Knight said in an email to councillors.
“To take advantage of the road closure, we are planning to do a number of works at the same time, including the junction of Gibbet Hill Road and Kenilworth Road.
“This way, although I appreciate there is bound to be inconvenience over the summer months, overall the period of disruption will be much less.”
The university has this week signed a series of agreements Sun Yat-sen University as part of its efforts to become what it has described as ambassadors for UK-China relations.
The Memoranda of Understanding will see collaborations designed to lead to advances in research programmes, an increase in the number of undergraduate student exchanges and executive education.
Professor Lawrence Young, pro-vice chancellor, said: “The agreements form a significant continuation of our commitment to collaborating with Chinese centres of education excellence.
“Warwick’s collaboration with Sun Yat-sen will strengthen our ability to equip students with the skills and experience to become successful citizens on a global stage.”
