'Quite an upheaval': Is there an end in sight to Bradford's roadworks?

Ask people in Bradford what their defining memory of the city centre was in 2024, and many are likely to respond with just one word - roadworks.

A major pedestrianisation scheme intended to improve access ahead of the City of Culture year has caused disruption and disturbance, but do residents think it has been worth it?

Work began on the £45m project in April, with the scheme described by Bradford City Council as a "monumental infrastructure project" to transform the city centre.

By December the authority said the majority of the work had been finished, with all the major changes to the road network layout completed, a new bus loop in place and work on the pedestrian "core area" done.

But some parts of the city centre remained unfinished while the extension of the Norfolk Gardens park, including new planting, is set to continue through January.

Now, after eight months of noise, dust and disruption what do people in the city think?

Visiting Bradford on New Year's Eve, Mike Binder, 74, said: "Parking has become very difficult here and access to the city centre has become very difficult.

"Just looking round, it's very messy. Lots of shops have closed down so incentive to come into Bradford now is gone.

"The pedestrianisation is very good, but the problem is there are so many shops around that are empty."

Balwant Patel, 69, said although now "it looks quite good" it had been a difficult year.

"For more elderly people it has been very hard. I think for people in wheelchairs it was very hard for them too," he said.

Donna Leusen, 55, said: "I worry that people are not going to come into Bradford because it has been quite an upheaval. It's been really difficult with the barriers.

"There was one time I was trying to catch a bus and it was very difficult to get from A to B.

"But it has been quite nice to come in today and see the improvements that have been made.

"I do hope it has been worthwhile and people start to come back into Bradford."

Her son Boris Leusen, 19, who has been studying at the University of Huddersfield, added: "I've been at university so I've not seen the whole development of it.

"Now I'm back it's odd, but nice. A lot of people didn't want to come in because of how loud it has been and how everything has been interrupted, but once that's all done I think it will be a massive improvement."

Others, however, felt the investment had not been worthwhile.

Fish and chip shop worker Cheryn Leech, 25, said: "No one wanted to come into town because there's nowhere to get through.

"I don't know why they have done it. They've wasted all that money when they could have spent it on something else."

A Bradford Council spokesperson said: "We know that the work is causing disruption, but contractors are working as fast as possible to complete and reopen areas as soon as possible.

"We'd like to thank people for their patience while this improvement work takes place."

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