Clockwise Chester
How to get around Chester during the major drain works
A new rain and surface water drainage tunnel is being installed in Chester city centre.
The work will regrettably result in some disruption to traffic, but will enable the transformation of the city centre for the benefit of residents and visitors for decades to come.
This is a major infrastructure project that will take approximately one year to complete and will have a substantial impact on traffic using the inner ring road.
The most efficient and practical solution has been to make the inner ring road primarily a clockwise one-way route for all traffic.
However, as the drainage works are nearing completion, the first phase of lifting the Clockwise diversions on Chester's inner ring road began on 25 October 2021.
This means that two-way traffic will be allowed along Nicholas Street, following completion of the first five sections of the new surface water drain.
Map and directions
The southbound lane along Nicholas Street between the Watergate Street junction and the Grosvenor Roundabout will allow traffic coming from the Sealand Road direction to turn left or right at the junction with the inner ring road and reduce journey times by removing the need to follow a Clockwise loop to leave the city via the Grosvenor Bridge.
The Weaver Street junction with Nicholas Street will also allow for a left or right turn.
Nicholas Street and St Martins Way will remain open to northbound traffic during the reinstatement works but will be limited to one lane until after the Hunter Street junction where necessary to enable a safe working area for the central reservation reinstatement.
Temporary closure of Hunter Street 10 – 14 January
This closure is an essential part of the Northgate development’s construction and is to allow for the connection of several new gas and water supplies into the Northgate scheme.
As a result, it will be necessary to close a central section of Hunter Street to all through traffic from 10th to 14th January. Pedestrian access along the full length of Hunter Street will remain open during the closure.
As a result Northgate Street will operate as a two-way traffic flow during the closure with exit via Canal Street and the Fountains Roundabout.
To reduce the number of vehicles using Northgate Street, a traffic marshal will be positioned at the northern end of Northgate Street (at the junction with George Street and Canal Street), between 10:30 and 16:30 Monday – Friday, to ensure access-only traffic is allowed.
In addition, to ensure that two-way traffic can use Northgate Street and obstructions can be minimised, loading will be prohibited on Northgate Street between George Street and Hunter Street, Monday – Friday between 10:30 and 16:30 other than in the lay-by outside Chez Jules, where the current restrictions will remain in place.
All other current restrictions in the vicinity, including city centre access via the Town Hall bollards will remain unchanged during the Hunter Street closure.
Get Clockwise and plan ahead
Please plan your journey and bear with us while the work is carried out and take account of any COVID-19 restrictions that may be in place.
Take extra time and care if you are unfamiliar with the Clockwise route for the inner ring road while Chester's new drainage tunnel is built.
Use your phone's sat-nav (handsfree) to get the best routes, journey time information and live updates on traffic even if you know the route.
You may need to allow more time, or consider alternative routes or why not use this as an opportunity to travel more sustainably or use public transport? Some bus routes and stops will be changing during the work, check with your bus operator for details.
Rather than driving into the city centre, please use the Park and Ride services, which not only saves on parking, it also reduces the number of cars entering the city.
The millennium cycleway and canal offer traffic-free routes into the city centre for walking or cycling.
We recommend that through traffic uses the A55 to bypass the city centre to/from North Wales and Wrexham, or via M56 and Queensferry to/from the Wirral and Neston direction.
Chester will still be open for business
We are doing all we can to keep traffic flowing and minimise any inconvenience.
We believe any short-term disruption will be worth it in the long run and will enable major new and improved city centre facilities such as a new market, a new cinema, parking and public square as part of the first phase of the Northgate development, along with further developments to replace the Forum Shopping Centre.
These will build on the success of Storyhouse and boost Chester's position as a leading retail, business and tourism destination.
All city centre car parks will remain open during the drainage works but access to the Market car park will be from the northbound direction only via St. Martin's Way.
Your questions answered
Since Clockwise was introduced in November last year we have taken a number of measures to improve the situation for all road users including:
- Updating sat nav providers such as Google Maps so drivers are automatically routed the correct way around Clockwise and helped to find the optimum routes, recommending all drivers use their sat-nav (hands free) even if they know their route to get the best journey times.
- Improving the phasing of the temporary traffic lights to give more priority to through traffic particularly along Nicholas Street and St Martins Way.
- Working with many of the city's businesses such as Storyhouse, Chester BID and Destination Chester so that their guests and customers are proactively pre-warned about the diversions so can plan accordingly.
- Liaised with city centre schools to try and minimise car journeys into the city and increase the use of school buses from locations outside the city centre.
- Continued to promote the Park and Ride services with adverts on the buses and social media posts prior to events such as race meetings to advise in advance of Clockwise.
- Signage across the city is regularly reviewed to help drivers locate key locations such as car parks, but also to keep temporary signage to a minimum and reduce signage clutter.
- Liaising with businesses such as the Travelodge and Tesco on Pepper Street to ensure their deliveries do not occur at peak times which can result in queues on the inner ring road.
- Liaised with local public transport operators, commercial bus services and taxi operators to reroute fixed service schedules/journeys into the city, to minimise disruption to passengers.
- Introduction of the e-scooter rental trial to proactively promote green sustainable recovery from the pandemic, whilst offering an alternative to private cars for local residents impacted by the temporary Clockwise traffic management measures.
The new rain/surface water drain tunnel will be a significant investment in the city centre's future and is a necessary requirement ahead of forthcoming major regeneration and vastly improved city centre facilities.
Yes, the new drain will result in significant future proof environmental protections and benefits; the Council is working with Welsh Water and the Environment Agency to ensure that the drain meets water industry and environmental standards. The benefits will include:
- Reducing instances of flooding and drain bursts in the city centre
- Diverting rainwater away from the sewer network which will reduce the volume of water requiring sewage treatment and in turn, reduce the energy used as a result
- Maximising the capacity of the existing household and commercial sewer network
- Providing a more efficient and sustainable rainwater drainage network for Chester
- Reducing the number of untreated sewage discharges into the river due to heavy rainfall when the current network is already at capacity.
It will run from Princess Street south along St. Martin's Way, Nicholas Street, Grosvenor Road and Castle Drive, and will end with a new outfall into the River Dee.
The drain will be almost 1km in length, 1.2m in diameter and require access shafts 5.5m wide and 7m deep. Over 85 per cent of the new drain will be installed via tunnelling rather than an open trench to minimise disruption above ground, but will require nine access shafts along the route for the tunnelling equipment to operate between.
The route of the drain and locations of each tunnel shaft have been carefully planned to avoid existing underground utility pipes, cables and sewers as well as buried structures and archaeological sites. The new drain also needs to connect up with the existing sewer network as the cost of major alterations would be prohibitive, and allow for the optimal flow of water in the new drain.
The tunnel shaft locations cannot be moved so it would be impractical to make traffic lane adjustments, plus the logistics of moving large numbers of cones and signs would also make this impractical and dangerous for staff working in live traffic more often, it would also lead to confusion for as to what was in operation and when.
However once shafts are completed; phased reopening of traffic lanes may be possible subject to safety criteria and traffic modelling.
Various options to manage the drain construction were considered, and in finalising the Clockwise scheme we consulted with local Councillors, a wide range of local resident groups, traders, emergency services and bus operators. This also included a presentation to the Chester District Advisory Panel, which was held in public in Blacon in February 2020. Their feedback helped shape the plans that were finalised and approved by Councillors in March 2020.
The new drain will require 9 access shafts with each one requiring site hoardings, archaeology investigations, digging, tunnelling work to its adjacent shafts and reinstatement followed by relaying the tarmac for the carriageway to be used again and, where needed, central reservations to be installed.
Although work commenced on the Northgate scheme in July 2020, extensive prior site investigations were needed to finalise the drain tunnel route, check existing underground services and geology, as well as enabling works along St. Martins Way and Nicholas Street to remove the central reservations and lighting columns ahead of the main tunnel works. Some of this was done during lockdown but it was not possible to do all the tunnel works in this time.
Standard weekday and Saturday morning working hours only will be necessary out of consideration for the proximity of the drain works to city centre residential areas and hotels along the tunnel route. However, we are exploring ways to minimise the work duration and complete as soon and as safe to do so.
- Dee Lane
- The Groves
- Castle Drive
- Black Friars
- Nuns Road
- Weaver Street
- City Walls Road
- King Street
Castle Drive, central section remains closed for works on the drain outfall until March.
Access to the Little Roodee car park is via Grosvenor Road end only, and access to University Riverside Campus is via Lower Bridge Street end only.
Yes due to the one-way plan for the inner ring road, two stops will be closed:
- The eastbound only stop on Grosvenor Street opposite the Save the Children shop (however westbound stop will remain open).
- The stop on Foregate Street outside the former Argos store before the Bars roundabout will also close.
Signage will be in place at each stop to advise of the changes.
If you have an enquiry about the Clockwise plan please email us: