Motorists are advised that full overnight closures will be in place on the A570 Sherdley Roundabout this week (13-14 October) as the finishing touches are made to a major junction improvement scheme.
The closures, from 8:00pm-5:00am, Wednesday and Thursday, are necessary to enable street lighting remedial works to be carried out at one of the busiest junctions in St Helens which is undergoing a major, soon to be completed, project to allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross more safely.
Measures, including signed diversions, will be in place to ensure that access to businesses in the area will be maintained and members of the council’s highways team will be on site to help ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. Where possible, works will be undertaken simultaneously to minimise disruption.
Having originally started in February 2020, significant progress has already been made, although the project has unfortunately experienced delays due to the pandemic and the original contractor going into administration.
With a contractor now in place, work recently got back underway to complete the scheme which has seen various footway works including completion of tarmac surfaces, installation of new drainage kerbs, remedial works to the guardrails and installation of ducting for the new traffic signal power supply.
Funded by the Local Growth Fund – awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund – the scheme A570 Sherdley Roundabout scheme will:
– allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross the carriageway safely by providing a Toucan crossings
– provide a refuge on Sherdley Road by widening the carriageway- increase space for pedestrians and cyclists to remove any conflicts- Increased lane widths to improve traffic flow- Improve signage to ensure road capacity is utilised efficiently Councillor Andy Bowden, St Helens Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: We apologise for the delays caused to this scheme which have been out of the council’s control, but the long-term benefits will be worthwhile. “This scheme will make Sherdley Roundabout safer and easier to navigate – not only for the many vehicles that use it on a daily basis – but also for pedestrians and cyclists too, as we look to promote greener ways to travel.” Further closures will be required in the coming weeks to allow for the completion of the street lighting works, including installation of the remaining new columns, removal of old columns, replacing existing lanterns and to provide the power link for the traffic signal controllers.These works will be completed alongside the installation of all new signage as well as the installation of the new vehicle restraint system (VRS barrier). In addition to the works on the roundabout, the temporary speed limit reduction that is currently in place from Eltonhead Road junction to the roundabout will be made permanent and all appropriate signage installed before the scheme is completed at the end of October.
