Coronation Street sets Club on Rosamund Street was revamped and reopened as a medical centre. A new road, Victoria Street, was built to house three shops and two houses. A builders' yard backing onto the betting shop was built. To obscure one of the Granada Television buildings a new viaduct was built on Rosamund Street. This sat behind the Rovers and parallel to Coronation Street and introduced an error, as it did not appear in the opening titles aerial shots of "Coronation Street". The "viaduct" was actually a façade with an optical illusion to make it look complete. A backdrop of some Salford
Coronation Street achievement was the introduction of Hayley Patterson (Julie Hesmondhalgh), the first transsexual character in a British soap. Some viewers were alienated by the new "Coronation Street", and sections of the media voiced their disapproval. Having received criticism of being too out of touch, "Corrie" now struggled to emulate the more modern "Brookside" and "EastEnders". In the "Daily Mirror", Victor Lewis-Smith wrote: "Apparently it doesn't matter that this is a first-class soap opera, superbly scripted and flawlessly performed by a seasoned repertory company." One of "Coronation Street"'s best known storylines took place in March/April 1998, with Deirdre Rachid (Anne Kirkbride) being