Construction has finally begun on the city’s £21 million project to improve transport and pedestrian infrastructure in Sheffield’s city centre with neighbouring South Yorkshire cities.
The investment was approved by the council back in October 2024 and will be funded by the department of transport alongside the South Yorkshire Mayoral combined authorities. The investment forms part of SYMCA’s £166 million Transforming Cities Fund investment across South Yorkshire.
The work which began on Monday, February 10 will primarily focus on making the route between Charles Street and the Moor permanently pedestrianised. This construction will take place between February and March and will eventually replace the pavement outside the city hall.
The ‘Connecting Sheffield; city centre project’ means that further construction will be taking place in the city centre on top of the £470 million ‘Heart of the City’ renovation which has been in process over the last few years and covered 1.5 million sq ft of development.
The aim of the project is to improve the connectability between the city's new infrastructure and encourage businesses to expand further into outdoor spaces.
Speaking back in October, Councillor Ben Miskell, Chair of the Transport committee at Sheffield City Council said: “Sheffield is changing. It’s transforming into an incredible city offering something for everyone whether you’re a resident here or visiting from further afield. This investment will contribute further to the ongoing transformation of our cleaner, greener, more thriving city centre.”
However, the ongoing construction of the city centre will prolong traffic disruption and obstruction to accessing the city’s centre.
City centre business owner, Sam Orwell, said the ongoing construction work was "bittersweet".
He said: "The work is obviously a bit of an eyesore but if it does bring in more business and foot traffic then hopefully it will be all worth it.”
South Yorkshire Mayor, Oliver Coppard who approved the ‘Connecting Sheffield’ as part of a larger South Yorkshire project, said the aim of the project was "building a healthier, wealthier and happier South Yorkshire is central to my ambition”.
Sheffield City Council has confirmed that the project is expected to finish in May.