WORK has started on the new section of the £4.8 million Furthergate Link Road from the M65 Whitebirk Roundabout to Gorse Street.

The demolition of the B&E Boys Hole House Mill is now almost complete and the new section will eventually join up with the Burnley Close work already under way.

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It is part of the £40 million Pennine Reach scheme to provide a fast-track for buses from Accrington and Great Harwood into Blackburn’s new £5 million bus station.

The scheme is due for completion next summer.

Work is now well under way on the Furthergate/Accrington Road/Burnley Road Link package.

Higher Audley Street is closed for another 10 weeks at the junction from Copy Nook for new drainage connections to be installed.

Eventually there will be bus priority in both directions between Copy Nook and Burnley Road with a widened highway on the south side of the existing carriageway.

This section of the scheme includes major improvements to provide a new junction adjacent to Burnley Close to aid traffic flow to M65 Junction 6 and traffic signals to give buses priority at the new Burnley Road junction and at Accrington Road inbound to Blackburn town centre between Patten Street and Croston Street .

The new link road from the Whitebirk roundabout will provide improved access to Kenyon Street and will enable the development of future employment sites.

Lambeth Street has reopened but St Clements Street will close for another two to three weeks.

Newton Street will close from April 7 for approximately four weeks.