Work will start next week on a new £1.5 million route for cycling and walking in North Walney.
Contractors are set to begin work on the 1.4-mile route on Tuesday, August 27.
Starting at Earnse Bay, new cycling infrastructure, that fully separates cyclists from vehicles, will be developed in verge space to provide a continuous route along West Shore Road to Trent Vale.
From Vickerstown Park to the Jubilee Bridge junction on the Promenade, the current path will be upgraded through resurfacing and will be widened to three metres.
Plans also include improvements to bus stops and lighting along the route, the installation of new dedicated crossings on Mill Lane and traffic calming measures on the access road to the cut next to Vickerstown Park. New benches and planting will also be introduced along the route and the creation of a rain garden on the Corner of Mill Lane.
The £1.5 million scheme will be funded by the Department for Transport’s Active Travel Fund which has ringfenced cash to improve infrastructure that will encourage active journeys in the area.
Westmorland and Furness Council’s cabinet member for transport and regulatory services Neil Hughes said: “It is the council’s ambition to get more people out cycling and walking for leisure and for everyday short journeys.
“To achieve this, it is important we continue to invest in building a network of sustainable cycling, walking and wheeling routes that people feel safe when using them.
“This new route on North Walney will support our communities to access the growing opportunities in Barrow-in-Furness through improved connections between neighbourhoods and key employment and education sites, making journeys by bike or on foot easier, safer and more enjoyable.”
In a joint statement, Walney Island ward councillors Therese Assouad, Frank Cassidy and Anita Husband said: “We think the new cycleway will prove to be big hit with people of all ages.
“The section through Vickerstown Park, in particular, has been subtly designed to improve this part of the island and we are looking forward to work starting soon.
“We would like to thank Walney residents for their suggestions along the way and we are grateful to council officers for their expertise in bringing this exciting project together.”
Traffic disruption is anticipated to be minimal during the work, the authority said, and any impact will be pre-advertised via signs.
