Traffic will soon be flowing better and congestion reduced on major routes leading into Kirkby, thanks to two significant transport improvement schemes that are due to start soon.
First to benefit will be the traffic signal junction around County Road, Hall Lane and Old Rough Lane, where Knowsley Council has been successful in attracting external funds of £698,000 to upgrade this busy junction, creating more capacity for vehicles, especially at peak times. Pedestrian and cyclist facilities will also be upgraded as a result of the works.
This work is due to begin on 22 October, when Old Rough Lane will be temporarily closed for up to six weeks. This will avoid the need for four-way temporary traffic lights during this period, which will keep disruption to a minimum. Upon completion of this first phase, all temporary traffic management will be removed from the area to avoid disruption over the festive period. The second phase will start in January, when four-way temporary traffic signals will be introduced. This project is due to be completed in spring next year.
Also benefitting from a significant investment of £1.138m is Junction 6 of the M57 and Valley Road with junction improvements increasing capacity and accessibility to Kirkby Town Centre. Whilst every effort will be made to reduce travel disruption, some temporary lane closures and traffic signals will be needed in order to carry out this work, with some overnight closures also planned for March. This work will begin in November 2018 and is also due to be complete in spring 2019.
Cllr Tony Brennan, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Economic Development, said “I’m delighted that we have secured almost £2m of external funding to improve the borough’s highways, particularly in areas where we know there is congestion. These latest improvements also support the development of Kirkby town centre, which includes the construction of a new Morrisons supermarket and other retail outlets as well as supporting housing growth, so these improvements will help to improve access into the town centre.”
Steve Rotheram, Metro Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “These schemes form part of our £25m key routes network investment programme, which has been designed to support economic growth across our city region.
“My key priority is to drive economic prosperity for the whole city region and ensuring that we have the right transport infrastructure in place is absolutely vital.
“These schemes will improve the state of our roads and enable better traffic flow on key routes in Kirkby, bringing benefits for our residents, visitors and businesses.”
Minister for the Northern Powerhouse and Local Growth, Jake Berry, said:
“We’re committed to boosting economic growth across the whole of the Northern Powerhouse and building a Britain fit for the future.
The £1.836 million investment from the Local Growth Fund in these important transport infrastructure projects will help the people of Kirkby access their town centre more easily, drive forward the local economy and improve connectivity across the Northern Powerhouse.”
Both schemes have been funded from the Government’s Local Growth Fund. Local Growth Funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund.