A badly damaged subway in Welwyn Garden City has been transformed with pictures celebrating the town’s centenary and maps showing interesting walking routes decorating the newly rendered walls.
The subway, located close to the Campus and next to John Lewis, was extensively damaged by a fire earlier in the year.
As a result, the subway has been closed while major repair works were carried out by Hertfordshire County Council’s Highways team.
The renovation started with the clearing of the debris, and the stabilising and repairing of all the surfaces before the refurbishment could take place. A new, brighter, energy-saving lighting system has been installed to reduce energy consumption for years to come.
Councillor Phil Bibby, HCC cabinet member for highways and environment, said: “We want to make walking and cycling a safe and attractive option for people trying to get around our towns, and refurbishing subways is an important part of that.
"By improving the lighting, we can make people feel safe and save energy at the same time, and I’m sure that this clean, bright, subway will help encourage more people to consider leaving their cars at home.”
County councillor Nigel Quinton - part of the Centenary team - who contributed to the cost of the improvements from his locality budget, said “I’m delighted that we’ve been able to use this refurbishment as an opportunity to enhance the subway walls and make it a more inviting and interesting place to travel through.
"I hope that in the New Year we can source additional funding to bring the two adjacent subways up to the same standard.”
The collection of images has been curated by the Mill Green Museum and has been sourced from the museum, the Wonderful Welwyn Garden City BID, Hertfordshire Archives and Local Studies (HALS) and the Letchworth Garden City Collection.
Peter Waine, chairman of the Welwyn Garden City Centenary Foundation, said: “We hope this collection will inspire both residents and visitors to the town to explore all there is to offer from trees and countryside to sports and the performing arts.”
For more information on Welwyn Garden City's Centenary go to www.wgc100.org
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