NOSTALGIA: Official opening of pedestrianised Strait Bargate in Boston in 1982 (GALLERY)
Boston’s pedestrianised Strait Bargate was officially opened 40 years ago.
Here are a selection of photographs from that day, which marked the culmination of a £45,000 project (or, from a certain point of view, decades of work on the town’s traffic system – see our article from 2018, John Adams Way at 40).
1. Official opening of the pedestrianised Strait Bargate
The shift to a traffic-free Strait Bargate was regarded as the natural conclusion of the town’s inner relief road project. Photo: JPIMedia
2. Official opening of the pedestrianised Strait Bargate
The Inner Relief Road scheme – designed to ease congestion in the town – was carried out in three phases: the construction of Haven Bridge (completed in July 1966), the widening of Bargate Bridge (completed in April 1973), and the building of John Adams Way (completed in May 1978). Photo: JPIMedia
3. Official opening of the pedestrianised Strait Bargate
The pedestrianisation of Strait Bargate was a joint exercise between the county and borough councils and cost about £45,000. Photo: JPIMedia
4. Official opening of the pedestrianised Strait Bargate
At the time of its official opening, the street had been in use as a pedestrianised zone for months and was finished but for the last couple of paving slabs. A six-month trial ban on traffic had also taken place two years earlier. Photo: JPIMedia