Blackburn traffic improvement scheme starts on Monday 3 December

Motorists are being reminded that a scheme to improve traffic flow around the St Peter Street and Darwen Street areas of Blackburn will go live on Monday.

To help stimulate new investment, as well as support existing businesses within the area, the Council has started work in the area to improve access and better links to the town centre.

The recently adopted Blackburn Town Centre supplementary planning document (SPD) identified Wainwright Way and the immediately surrounding area, as one of six key investment areas for the town centre.

Cllr Phil Riley, Executive Member for Regeneration, said:

These changes reflect the continuing expansion of the town centre with new businesses moving onto Wainwright Way and the surrounding areas. The existing road network does not reflect the changing map of the town and these changes will help visitors and residents to move around the town centre more easily by linking King Street to Darwen Street and by making St Peter Street two-way. There will be some disruptions in the short term and we apologise for that, however the benefits the scheme will bring for the future, will be for the better.

Works to replace signal heads and install a new controller at the St Peter Street and Mincing Lane traffic lights  have already been completed.

Give ways will be established on Darwen Street and Freckleton Street, allowing for St Peter Street to be amended from a one way to a two way traffic system.  This will allow traffic to gain access via Freckleton Street, directly to Darwen Street.

The existing right turn from Wainwright Way into King Street will be removed and prohibited.

However access to King Street from all other directions will remain in place.

As part of the improvements, free on street parking in designated parking bays will come into effect from 3 December.

Parking will be limited to three hours, with no return within two hours, which will be restricted to designated parking bays on Heaton Street, Clayton Street, Freckleton Street, St Peter’s Street and Chapel Street.

Amendments to road markings and signage have been carried out ahead of works starting.