Disruption is set to hit a busy part of Carmarthen in the coming weeks with work being carried out on a town centre street for a period of three months. Delays are expected in the Blue Street area from next week as work gets underway on transforming Carmarthen bus station, which is located to the left as you enter the street which leads into Dark Gate and Lammas Street.
The station, which first opened in its current guise when Greyfriars Shopping Centre came to Carmarthen in 1998, will undergo a revamp in a project costing more than £400,000. You can keep up to date with the latest Carmarthenshire news by signing up to the local newsletter here.
Work will include the introduction of two new shelters to provide better weather protection, together with ‘green-roof’ canopies, the widening of the central reserve and enhanced landscaping in an attempt to bring people closer to nearby shops and businesses.
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Due to the project, some delays are expected in Blue Street from Monday (April 25), with some setting up work taking place before construction will actually start on Monday, May 9. Carmarthenshire Council has said it hopes to avoid major disruption, especially at peak times and delivery periods for local businesses.
However, some disruption is expected on the street - which is one-way - including around the existing parking and loading bays which sit opposite the bus station. As for bus travellers, buses will stop a couple of hundred yards around the corner on Lammas Street, near the Rose and Crown pub, rather than pull in to the usual spaces on Blue Street.
There will be signals in place to control the flow of traffic for a period of approximately four weeks at the start of the project, but signalisation is not expected to be required during the remaining weeks of the planned works. However, Blue Street itself will need to be closed for a limited number of nights during the final stages of construction, with the council set to confirm exact dates nearer the time. The road will be closed for surfacing work which will be carried out at night in a bid to minimise disruption during the day on what is a busy street.
A spokeswoman for the council said: “Work is expected to take around 12 weeks to complete. We secured funding to enhance the bus station in Blue Street after investigations and user surveys showed that the existing bus shelters are too small and do not provide sufficient shelter for waiting passengers.
“A public engagement exercise was held last year, and feedback has helped shape the final design proposals. The existing bus shelters are being replaced with a single, continuous green-roof canopy which will provide greater shelter as well as capturing carbon and attracting wildlife.
"New trees and ornamental shrubbery will add more greenery to the Blue Street area and will also compensate for the removal of hornbeam trees that are constrained by the current shelters. Widening of existing crossing points will improve pedestrian safety and enhanced landscaping of the area to bring people closer to nearby shops and businesses."
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