A street festival will mark the opening of a new pedestrian route and footbridge linking East Croydon station to the town centre.
Mayor of Croydon councillor Yvette Hopley will formally open the pedestrian walk and footbridge to the new station entrance on Thursday afternoon.
A celebration of the landmark which will link the busy station to the proposed £1 billion Westfield and Hammerson retail development, will see performers, musicians, and food stalls line the Lansdowne Road entrance to the pedestrian link and footbridge.
The structure is 100 metres long and 14 metres wide and has been dubbed the catalyst for unifying Croydon.
The £20m investment was jointly funded by Croydon Council and Network Rail and was designed by a team including Studio Egret West, Hawkins/Brown and Mott MacDonald. It stretches across the railway lines, creating a station entrance and platform interchange with lifts.
The footbridge then opens on to an attractive new public space and pedestrian link designed by MUF and delivered by Stanhope Schroders as part of their £600m Ruskin Square development.
The pedestrian link leads to Lansdowne Road, which is also being upgraded to create an improved walking and cycling route with widened footways, new paving, planting and seating, and a new look for Dingwall Road roundabout.
In addition to boosting station capacity and providing level access to platforms, the footbridge will enable visitors to travel easily between the proposed redevelopment of the Whitgift Shopping Centre and East Croydon station.
A new pedestrian crossing over Wellesley Road will complete the route in July 2014.
The station footbridge and pedestrian link has been built as part of Connected Croydon, the borough's £50m programme of high street, public space and transport improvements that will transform the town centre.
Councillor Jason Perry, cabinet member for planning, regeneration and transport, said: "This footbridge is a major part of our regeneration plans for the town centre and we are delighted to see it open.
"We’re on our way with plans to transform Croydon – building a pedestrian link between East Croydon station, Ruskin Square and the retail development at the Whitgift Centre really connects our town.
"Making it easier to get to and from East Croydon – one of the country’s busiest rail stations – is crucial to the town’s economic growth."
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