Overnight road closures start in Burnley next week
People are being asked to plan their journeys around overnight road closures in the centre of Burnley due to begin next week.
Centenary Way and Church Street are due to be closed to vehicles each night from 10pm to 5am from Monday 3 June to Sunday 23 June, with Yorkshire Street between Church Street and Belvedere Road also due to be closed from the earlier time of 8.30pm.
While traffic will still be able to get through on Centenary Way and Church Street until 10pm people are warned to expect some delays from 8.30pm each evening due to lane closures as work gets underway. Access will be available at all times for residents, pedestrians and cyclists.
The road closures are needed for work being carried out by Lancashire County Council on the final phase of Burnley Council's Town 2 Turf scheme which is creating better pedestrian links, and improved public areas, between the town centre and Burnley Football Club.
The work involves resurfacing Centenary Way and Church Street as well as the new traffic light junction at Yorkshire Street, installing cables within the road for the new traffic signals, and installing new road markings and anti-skid surfacing.
When the road closures are in place a diversion route will be signed via Centenary Way, Manchester Road, Rossendale Road, Accrington Road, Hameldon Approach, Burnley Barracks Interchange, Westway, West Gate, Active Way, Colne Road, Casterton Avenue, Eastern Avenue, Queen Victoria Road, Belvedere Road and Yorkshire Street.
Electronic message boards have been placed in the area recently to alert people to the forthcoming work, and bus operators and the emergency services have been consulted. Residents and businesses directly affected have also been contacted about the work.
Phil Durnell, Lancashire County Council director of highways and transport, said: "We're pleased to be delivering the Town 2 Turf scheme on behalf of Burnley Council and are carrying out this phase of the work overnight to minimise disruption to people's journeys in this very busy area as much as we can.
"Carrying out this work overnight will allow us to make good progress, with the road closures being needed for the safety of our highways team.
"I'd ask people to plan their journeys with these road closures in mind, and I'm grateful for everyone's patience while we deliver these improvements."
Notes to editors
The Town2Turf scheme is being funded through Levelling Up grant money and other funding, and undertaken in partnership between Burnley Council, Lancashire County Council and Burnley Football Club.
It forms part of wider plans to create a 'regeneration corridor' from one side of the town centre to the other, from the Weavers’ Triangle through to Turf Moor. The scheme includes the roundabout at the junction of Yorkshire Street and Church Street being replaced by a traffic light junction with pedestrian crossings, the subway under Centenary Way being closed and the area landscaped, changes to the road system around the bus station, new pedestrian crossings, and improved paving, seating, and lighting.
Picture caption: Church Street looking towards Yorkshire Street during recent work on the scheme.