Major work gets under way this week which will see the closure of a key route in Liverpool.
Contractors for Liverpool City Council are working on Princes Avenue and Road as part of a £4m scheme which is seeing the creation of a unique cycle path along the central reservation.
Improvements to the area include new pedestrian and cycle paths, toucan crossings, carriageway surface, drainage and footway improvements as well as new seating, lighting and improved public artwork and planting of 20 trees.
The work will see:
· Princes Road in to the city closed from the roundabout to Upper Parliament Street from Wednesday 15 April until Wednesday 29 April and Monday 18 May until Friday 22 May
· Princes Avenue out of the city closed from Upper Parliament Street to the roundabout from Thursday 30 April until Friday 15 May
· Both Upper Warwick Street and North Hill Street junctions will be closed throughout the period
· Temporary bus diversions have been put in place
The innovative scheme, which falls between Upper Parliament Street and Princes Park Gate, also aims to stimulate the wider regeneration of an area that was created in Liverpool’s Victorian maritime hey-day.
The wide, tree-lined boulevard styled avenue leading up to Princes Park was built for the city’s merchant class and boasts grand houses as well as a stunning range of religious architecture, including the Grade I listed Gothic/Moorish revival masterpiece that is the Princes Road Jewish Synagogue.
This scheme is part of Liverpool City Region’s Sustainable Transport Enhancement Package (STEP) and the city council was successful in being awarded £1.925m from the STEP programme. The remainder of the funding will be provided through the council’s £500m Better Roads programme.
As part of the creative engagement process the L8 community including children from local schools, contributed to the design and literature for the artwork in the public realm areas.
The STEP programme is part of the Local Growth Fund (LGF). Local Growth Funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority through its Strategic Investment Fund.
Social value benchmarks and targets are also included in the contract committing contractors nmcn to providing work and training opportunities to the Liverpool labour market.
Councillor Sharon Connor, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet member for highways, said: “The Princes Avenue/Road scheme will help breathe new life into this area.
“It’s going to revive the most beautiful boulevard in the city and transform how the wider Toxteth community interact and use this reimagined space.
“We know the roads are much quieter than normal due to the current coronavirus restrictions which means there will be a much lower impact than usual.
“This is classed as essential works and we will be making sure that contractors abide by the rules around social distancing and PPE.”
The scheme is set to be completed in the summer.
