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Alternative facilities will be made available nearby during the closure.
Middlesbrough Council says every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum.
Middlesbrough Council says every effort will be made to keep disruption to a minimum.
The refurbishment is being carried out by the council to make the bus station as accessible as possible for people with disabilities and other users.
The project is part of the Tees Valley Bus Network Improvement Scheme - a Department for Transport-funded project, which will see a £57m investment in bus infrastructure across Teesside.
The scheme includes: Reconstruction of the external concourse area and part-reconstruction of the ramps to the upper deck;
Creating low floor stops at the majority of the local bus stands in the bus station, and
Introduction of automatic doors at each of the stands, which will be triggered when a bus approaches.
The work is due to start on Monday, July 16, and is expected to take four to six weeks to complete. Contractors will work around the clock to ensure the closure period is as short as possible.
The 21 local bus stands and the express coach stand will be relocated to temporary sites elsewhere in the town centre when the temporary closure is introduced.
The council has worked closely with Tees Valley Unlimited’s public transport group to develop the temporary traffic management arrangements required during the closure.
The arrangements include the creation of a “mini bus station” at the nearby Denmark Street car park, which will be closed to all other traffic during the works.
Middlesbrough bus station is one of the busiest in the region.
An average of 35,000 passengers pass through every weekday and the bus station is used by more than 1,400 buses and coaches each weekday - around 450,000 bus movements a year.
Focus Comment
It is pleasing to see a local authority upgrading facilities for bus users,
especially when in this case, the changes are driven by a desire to benefit people with disabilities.
Middlesbrough Bus Station is one of the best facilities that I know of, with numerous stands and ample layover parking for buses.
It is cleverly designed to make best use of space and includes stands at two levels. Dedicated coach bays are included at a higher level above the main concourse and there is a decent a waiting area for coach passengers.It is ideally placed, very close to the shopping area but has its own bus exit and entrance unencumbered by queues to car parks.
When looking at the most recent offerings of new bus stations it is pretty obvious that for some reason, the Middlesbrough design hasn't made it into the 'How to Design a Bus Station' manual for local authorities.
If you know of any well designed bus stations that work well or have examples of those that don't fit the bill please send details to
focustransport2011@gmail.com and we will post details on this site.
David Gambles
