Two major roads in Merseyside town centre to close overnight for resurfacing works
Two major roads in a Merseyside town centre are set to close overnight from next week as part of road surfacing works in the area. This follows months of disruption due to a major scheme aimed at regenerating the town.
Wirral Council said essential overnight road resurfacing works are scheduled to take place on Conway Street and Europa Boulevard in Birkenhead from next week. Starting from 9pm on November 10, the works are due to last until November 28.
Overnight closures on Conway Street from Hemingford Street to the Argyle Street roundabout as well as along Europa Boulevard are set to be between 9pm and 6am only, subject to weather and site conditions. The roads will reopen to traffic at 6am each day.
In an update, the local authority said: “Access to the Vue Cinema and Europa Pools will be maintained up to 9pm each day, with anyone exiting after 9pm able to do so via Park Street.
“The Conway Street multi-storey car park will be open from 6.30am until 8pm during this period. While the works are going on, everyone is urged to avoid parking on Conway Street and Europa Boulevard.
“Traffic, including bus services, will be diverted via Price Street and access to Hemingford Street will be possible from Claughton Road. These works have been planned to take place overnight to keep disruption to a minimum.”
Major works are currently being carried out over much of Birkenhead town centre as part of plans to regenerate and improve the town centre. New cycling and walking routes are being introduced, paving installed, as well as a controversial one-way street in one area.
The works are months behind schedule. However the LDRS understands Grange Road, which is the town’s main high street, is now expected to be fully complete before the Christmas period.
Those works have been slammed in recent months after the LDRS first revealed it was projected to cost around £24m, double its initial budget. This has only intensified after businesses continued to report drops in footfall and one section on Grange Road West has been described as looking like “giant Wotsits”.
The massive overspends and problems being faced by the scheme led to an internal investigation being launched earlier this year. Following this investigation, Wirral Council has now published its action plan for how it plans to learn lessons.
Further work is now being carried out by the council’s external auditors, Grant Thornton, with findings currently expected to be published towards the end of the year. This will review the council’s arrangements to deliver regeneration projects.
The structure of the council’s top team will also be revised with a dedicated team established to manage major projects. A board overseeing regeneration projects that stopped meeting will also be reinstated while a new oversight group will be established.
Staff training will be carried out and new policies brought in to improve things, including new guidance for awarding contracts. An investigation is also being carried out to look at the council’s culture and whether this and other issues had led to delivery challenges for regeneration projects.
At a Wirral Council audit and risk management committee meeting on November 4, councillors unanimously said they regretted the situation and would continue to hold officers to account.