Work to start on £55m road upgrade scheme
Jaggery/GeographWork is set to start on a major upgrade of two main roads in Lancashire.
The work on Manchester Road and Colne Road in Burnley is the first stage of a £55m infrastructure improvement investment across the borough, Hyndburn, Pendle and Rossendale.
Beginning this month, it aims to deliver "safer, greener and healthier streets, vibrant town centres and improved public transport", Lancashire County Council said.
The authority's economic development boss councillor Brian Moore said the investment was a "major step forward in transforming how we travel, how we access our town centres, and how we support our local economy".
The work is being paid for with £50m in government funding from the Department for Transport, originally allocated under the previous government's Levelling Up Fund, topped up by £5m from the local authority.
'Refreshed spaces'
Now Whitehall has confirmed its contribution the first major works are to set to start within days, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.
These will deliver wider pavements, upgraded pedestrian crossings and refreshed public spaces on Manchester Road, alongside public realm and neighbourhood safety measures on Colne Road.
A new safety camera scheme will also be introduced on Colne Road.
Other work ready to start includes the Accessible Nelson improvements in Nelson town centre in conjunction with Pendle Borough Council, alongside selecting contractors to deliver the Safer, Greener, Healthier Streets programme, and the Manchester Road, Burnley, and Bank Street, Rawtenstall town centre improvements.
The programme is expected to generate about 600,000 additional town centre trips each year, boosting footfall and business growth.
The programme will also create more than 400 new jobs worth £3.5m to the local economy, improve health and wellbeing through increased walking and cycling, and cut carbon emissions by encouraging sustainable transport.
Listen to the best of BBC Radio Lancashire on Sounds and follow BBC Lancashire on Facebook, X and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
