Neville Street, which runs beneath the railway lines into Leeds City Station, is laid in a central tunnel between the city centre and Holbeck Urban Village.

“Despite its position as the main thoroughfare into Leeds city centre from the south and the M621 motorway, the stretch of road has been criticised by users for being dark, boring and noisy.

An important element in the positioning of Holbeck as an attractive suburb has been to upgrade the stretch of road into Leeds,” says Steve Balmer, Managing Director of Saferoad BLG.

Saferoad BLG is one of Britain’s leading suppliers of traffic safety solutions and street lighting, with sales in excess of EUR 25 million. Initially, the company was involved as a subcontractor on the project, but was subsequently given overall responsibility.

International attention

The program of improvements, entitled ‘Light Neville Street’, has aimed to upgrade the tunnel using innovative engineering and acoustic techniques, including sound-absorbing wallpanels and a new lighting scheme.

The improvements also widen the current footpaths by a total of 1.25 metres, making it a safer environment for people with disabilities to move along the street.

Thousands of tiny lights have been placed in the tunnel’s ceilings and walls, and special sounds fill the space in order to minimise traffic noise. The volume is adjusted in line with the traffic volume at any given time.

Balmer is delighted with the finished product: “Saferoad BLG has joined forces with leading architects, engineers and acoustic experts to create a spectacular area that has gained international attention,” he says.

Special place

Robust, graffiti-resistant, anodised aluminium wall panels contain an innovative sound-absorbing material called QuietStone, used in the Channel Tunnel and the London Underground to manage soundlevels. A new lighting scheme, incorporating thousands of LEDs, improves light levels in the tunnel. Alongside this, an audio installation will be created to soften the traffic noise experienced in the tunnel.

A complimentary lighting scheme, installed on the west wall, will subtly remind drivers to watch their speed, whilst improving security in the tunnel by contributing to a lighter, brighter environment added to existing cameras at either end of the tunnel.

“This was a challenging project which needed all our skills in steel construction and electrical installation, but the outcome is something really unusual that has transformed this boring tunnel into a very special place,” says Steve Balmer.

Contract value: GPB 2.2 million

Contract duration: Finished

Contract role: Acted as Main Contractor directly to Leeds CC