HS2 travel chaos continues for Warwick students as campus to Kenilworth road to shut for two months

Commuting students are set to be faced with yet another travel nightmare, as the A429 Kenilworth Road prepares to close for seven weeks in June and July.

The road, which connects campus to Kenilworth, will be closed for 24 hours a day between Monday 2 June and Saturday 28 June, and again from Monday 30 June to Sunday 20 July.

Vehicles will be diverted to alternative routes which will be “fully signposted” during the closure, while access to properties will be maintained. The road and its interconnecting footpaths will also remain open for pedestrians and cyclists.

The work is being undertaken by contractors Balfour Beatty VINCI as part of the ongoing HS2 railway works. It will be part of the “final phases of construction to build the new overbridge and connect the realigned A429 Kenilworth Road”.

We will be finishing embankments, reinstating and resurfacing the footpaths, positioning final utilities, and completing highway drainage works

HS2 and Balfour Beatty VINCI statement

A road closure notice, issued by the contractors, states: “We will be finishing embankments, reinstating and resurfacing the footpaths, positioning final utilities, and completing highway drainage works.”

This set of roadworks comes following multiple closures of the A46 earlier this year, dubbed a “travel nightmare” by The Boar. The closure of the road connecting campus to Leamington Spa and Coventry was described as “beyond frustrating” by one student.

Bus services were also affected by the initial closures, and further disruption is expected when the A429 shuts.

Although Leamington houses a greater number of Warwick students, those that do live elsewhere – as well as Leamington residents – can expect to be affected by the disrupted route to Kenilworth

Although Leamington houses a greater number of Warwick students, those that do live elsewhere – as well as Leamington residents – can expect to be affected by the disrupted route to Kenilworth. HS2 have predicted “some disruption to your travel times”, however the extent of this disruption remains unclear.

During the road closure, vehicles will be diverted to a large loop around the A45 and A452 in order to avoid the small stretch of road being closed.

Students are encouraged to visit the National Express and Stagecoach websites for updates on their bus timetables into Kenilworth.

A ‘community drop-in event’ will be held on Thursday 31 July from 2-6pm in the Kenilworth Centre to update residents and road users on the works.