[C]umbria County Council is to carry out a major package of road improvement works in Barrow valued at more than £1.5 million.
The road schemes are designed to improve traffic flow, ease congestion and support job creation in Barrow.
The improvements will support further developments of Barrow Waterfront and the wider port area. They will also support BAE Systems’ Site Redevelopment Programme.
Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “The county council will be delivering these key road improvements which will benefit all road users in Barrow and help pave the way for further investment and job creation in the town.”
Councillor Bill McEwan, Chair of Cumbria County Council’s Barrow Local Committee Highways Advisory Sub-Group, said: “This is a significant investment in our road network which will help improve traffic flow and ease congestion in the town. The improvements will also support Barrow Borough Council’s Local Plan for economic growth, which is great news for local people.”
The county council plans to carry out the road improvements in two phases:
February 2018 – Summer 2018: Widening of North Road. Funded through the National Productivity Investment Fund, the scheme involves widening the southbound carriageway for an approximate length of 260m to allow continuous two-lane traffic. North Road currently narrows from two southbound lanes to one lane immediately north of Devonshire Dock Hall and then increases to two lanes to the south of the building. This scheme will help improve traffic flow and tackle traffic congestion.
Autumn 2018 – Spring/Summer 2019: A series of road improvements will be delivered by the county council on behalf of BAE Systems, which is funding the works as a Section 278 condition of planning permission. In order to mitigate the impact of BAE System’s Site Redevelopment Programme, the following improvements will be carried out during this period:
- A590 North Road / Bridge Road / Jubilee Bridge – 3-Arm signal controlled junction with relocation of Burnaby Street junction arm. Includes stopping up of Burnaby Street access.
- Signalised junctions on A590 North Road – Closure of Devonshire Dock Hall access and reinstatement of footway.
- A590 Jubilee Bridge / Promenade / Central Drive – Addition of upgraded signal control as well as puffin crossing upgrades.
- Abbey Road / Rawlinson Street – Addition of staggered pedestrian crossing on Rawlinson Street arm of the junction.
- North Road – Formation of proposed foot/cycleway and localised widening of North Road to facilitate filter lane for new signalised junction.
- Bridge Road – Formation of proposed carriageway access to Stewart Street and associated visibility splays.
- Michaelson Road/Buccleuch Dock Road – Introduction of traffic control at existing junction, with associated kerb alterations and provision of controlled pedestrian crossing facilities.
Local residents and businesses will be able to discuss the road improvements with Cumbria County Council at drop-in sessions taking place on:
- Monday 15 January 2018, 2pm – 7pm, at The Forum, Barrow
- Tuesday 16 January 2018, 2pm – 7pm, at Barrow Island CDC, Barrow Island Primary School, Island Road
- Wednesday 17 January 2018, 3pm – 7pm, at Walney Community Centre, Central Drive
Further information about the road improvements is available online at cumbria.gov.uk/barrowroads
In addition, Cumbria County Council is seeking to secure funding to carry out maintenance works on Jubilee Bridge, which links Barrow and Walney, and carries up to 24,000 vehicles a day. If the county council can secure the necessary funding, significant maintenance works could be planned, including re-waterproofing the bridge deck, steelwork repairs and painting of steelwork. If successful, works will start on the bridge later this year.
