Work has been completed on the £6 million scheme to resurface roads in and around Sefton Park.
Thousands of motorists, cyclists and pedestrians can look forward to smoother journeys around the park, with the council finishing work to dig up and replace a total of 4.5km of pothole-ridden carriageways.
The scheme has been made possible thanks to the city council taking steps to formally adopt the roads and put an end to years of deterioration, exacerbated by severe winter weather. Previously, the unadopted roads were not part of the council’s highways network, which meant the council could not spend money from its general highways budget improving them.
Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson(pictured) said: “Sefton Park is one of our most popular green spaces and it’s only right that such a magnificent park has the roads to match.
“We have listened to the views of local residents and visitors, who have long complained about the condition of the roads, and we’ve shared their frustrations. The problem was, while the roads remained unadopted, there was very little we could do to improve them.
“We’ve now taken action, generated the investment that was needed, and brought these roads up to a really excellent standard. And what’s more, now that we are formally adopting the roads, we will be making sure that they are regularly maintained so that they last for many years to come.”
The work was carried out in two phases – April to June 2012 and April to June 2013 – to make sure it did not clash with events taking place in the park during summer, and avoided the bad weather over winter. In addition to the carriageway improvements, parking lay-bys have been created on Aigburth Drive And, following consultation with residents, new zebra crossings have also been installed – at Aigburth Drive / Lark Lane; Mossley Hill Drive / Croxteth Drive; and Mossley Hill Drive / Elmswood Road – to improve access to the park.
The entrance to Sefton Park at Aigburth Drive, by the boating lake, has been realigned to improve safety and reduce the speed of traffic entering and exiting the park. And on-street parking provision has been increased at a number of locations around the orbital road of the park, including Croxteth Gate and Mossley Hill Drive .
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Tim Moore, said: “The completion of this work is great news for the area. These improvements will vastly improve the experience of the thousands of people who use the roads on a daily basis, as well as those who regularly attend the many events which take place at the park.
“We know what an important issue this has been for local people for a number of years, so it’s really pleasing that we have delivered these much-needed improvements. It’s fantastic that the quality of these roads now reflects Sefton Park’s status as one our prize assets.”
The Sefton Park roadworks have seen carriageway improvements made to:
• Greenbank Drive (from Smithdown Road to Mossley Hill Drive)
• Hargreaves Road (from Lark Lane to Livingstone Drive)
• Livingstone Drive and Livingstone Drive South (from Aigburth Drive to the end)
• Livingstone Drive North (from Aigburth Drive to Livingstone Drive)
• Croxteth Drive (from Mossley Hill Drive to Greenbank Drive)
• Aigburth Drive (from Ullet Road to Croxteth Drive)
• Lark Lane (from Aigburth Drive to Livingstone Avenue)
• Mossley Hill Drive (from Croxteth Drive to Greenbank Drive)
• Croxteth Drive (from Ullet Road to Croxteth Drive roundabout
