Oxford Road closures and restrictions from Monday 13 February

A breakdown of the work that will be carried out during this time is as follows: 

Monday 13 February to Sunday 19 March (inclusive):

· Full road closure between Booth Street and Charles Street
· One-way running in place between Charles Street and Whitworth Street for inbound traffic only – until Saturday 25 February

From Monday 13 February until Sunday 19 March inclusive, Oxford Road will be closed to all traffic between Booth Street and Charles Street for development work at Manchester Metropolitan University and Bruntwood’s Circle Square (former BBC site).

The Booth Street and Charles Street junctions are not affected by this closure and will remain open to help with east to west movements across Oxford Road, however, it should be noted that weekend closures of Charles Street will take place (more detail below).

As part of the ongoing bus priority work, TfGM and Manchester City Council will also be working within the closed section, as well as continuing to construct cycle segregation measures between Charles Street and Whitworth Street. To enable this work to take place safely and efficiently, a one-way operation will be introduced between Charles Street and Whitworth Street, allowing inbound traffic only until Saturday 25 February, inclusive.

Sunday 26 February to Monday 6 March:

· Extension of full road closure – Booth Street to Whitworth Street.
· Weekend junction closures – Charles Street and Hulme Street on 26 February and 4/5 March.

To enable final resurfacing work to take place the full closure will be extended meaning that Oxford Road will be closed to all traffic between Booth Street and Whitworth Street.

To help with east to west movements across Oxford Road, the junctions of Booth Street and Charles Street will remain open throughout, except when weekend resurfacing is taking place on Sunday 26 February and the weekends of 4 and 5 March – when they will close.

Plan ahead and know your options:

While the opportunity for three major developments to carry out work within the same closure means less disruption in the long run, commuters are being advised to plan ahead. The closure of Oxford Road is expected to impact bus passengers more so than motorists given that most are already using Upper Brook Street and so we’ve updated our travel page to help everyone get around. 

Travel advice and more information about the work is available on the TfGM website at www.tfgm.com/city-centre-works or follow us on Twitter @OfficialTfGM.

Bus gate update:

From Monday 13 February, Manchester City Council will begin introducing the next section of bus priority restrictions. You will notice that signs marking the extended boundaries of the bus priority zone will be uncovered. These are the bus gates beyond which restrictions will apply to general traffic.  The current restrictions, which require drivers to turn right onto Hathersage Road, will then extend as far as Booth Street and operate in both directions. These new restrictions will limit access to Oxford Road from adjoining routes such as Denmark Road. With the new layout for Oxford Road between Hathersage Road and Booth Street now in place, it means bus passengers, pedestrians and cyclists can start taking advantage of the benefits of the transformation immediately.

For drivers, the bus gates mark the start of the priority zone for buses, cyclists and hackney carriages between the hours of 6am and 9pm, 7 days-a-week. 

The unveiling of the signs means general traffic is prohibited from travelling between Hathersage Road and Booth Street in either direction – and liable to fines for contravening the restrictions. 

Manchester City Council is responsible for enforcing the bus priority zone and TfGM will work with them to ensure there is further communication about enforcement, as drivers get used to the new restrictions.