Road safety works bill tops £350k
Transport chiefs are spending more than £350,000 on road safety improvements in Staffordshire.
Transport chiefs are spending more than £350,000 on road safety improvements in Staffordshire.
The county council has started work on a new pedestrian crossing, and on a major project to improve a busy junction next to Tesco, in Church Street Lichfield.
The new pedestrian crossing is being installed on Eastern Avenue at a cost of £86,000 and will be located next to the Lidl supermarket which is currently being built. Improvements will include the installation of new traffic signals.
There would also be tactile paving around the crossing.
The road approaching the crossing will be resurfaced with skid-resistant asphalt, and the bus stop will be relocated.
The work is expected to last for around six weeks.
In Church Street, the county has launched a £270,000 scheme to replace the mini-roundabout with a signal controlled junction.
The controlled crossing near the recently demolished Smithfield Hotel will also be relocated.
The work is expected to last eight weeks.
The Tesco store is due to be knocked down early this year and the company will be building a new one at the site.
As part of the planning agreement, the carriageway at Church Road will also be widened to provide an additional left turn on to the supermarket's car park.
Work will be carried out from 7am until 7pm weekdays and from 7.30am until 1.30pm Saturdays.
The road will be open to traffic throughout the project but there will be reduced lane widths and temporary traffic lights will be put in place while some of the work is carried out.
Councillor Tony Wilkins said the schemes were essential.
"The Eastern Avenue supermarket will attract a lot of pedestrians and we want to make sure they are safe.
"The installation of the crossing was part of the planning permission conditions and is an essential part of the development, but it will also act as another place for pedestrians to cross a busy road in safety.
"The Tesco scheme will prove to be vital in dealing with the additional traffic going to and from the new supermarket."