What you need to know about A63 Castle Street scheme as it nears 2026 completion date

Building began in 2020 and is nearing completion

What you need to know about the National Highways A63 improvement scheme and a timeline of key milestones.

• 2018: The project’s Development Consent Order (DCO) was submitted. The scheme, valued at £355 million, was initially expected to be completed by Spring 2025, but was later pushed back.
• 2020: On-site construction work officially began in March 2020. Meanwhile, the Murdoch’s Connection footbridge over the A63, connecting Princes Quay and the Marina / Fruit Market area, opened in the summer and was named in honour of the city’s first female GP, Dr Mary Murdoch.
• June 2021: Archaeologists examined around 1,500 skeletons from the former Trinity Burial Ground next to Castle Street in Hull, which was in use between 1783 and 1861. Health issues found among the burials included common diseases like scurvy, tuberculosis, and rickets, as well as numerous nasal fractures in both men and women, reflecting the era’s brutal everyday life.
• January 2022: Demolition work begins to remove the former Myton Centre in William Street. This would open up the space for new planting and landscaping.
• September 2023: The next phase was the lowering of the A63 into the new underpass. Meanwhile, Ferensway and Commercial Road needed to be raised in order to create a split-level junction.
• December 2024: National Highways announced the expected end date had been pushed back from Spring 2025 to Spring 2026, saying there had been “extremely challenging ground conditions near the Humber that could not have been anticipated”. Meanwhile, 45,000 m³ of earth was excavation and preparations began for pouring concrete and forming the road and split-level junction.
• Between February and August 2025: 4.5 million litres of concrete were poured to complete the base of the underpass, which has been built with 14 slabs. Meanwhile, props installed more than 18 months ago to support construction of the base and walls have been removed.
• August 2025: The next key phases of work begin on the underpass, including construction of the wall panels. Work continues on the split-level junction and connection from Ferensway to Commercial Road.
• January 2026: Part of the A63 in Hull will be closed in both directions every night for almost all of January. National Highways says it is “continuing to move forward with the split-level junction at Mytongate”. Read the full story here.