ST HELENS Council has announced plans to spend more than £6 million on road repairs and maintenance in the coming financial year.

However, the council has not been successful in its bid for cash for the Blackbrook diversion, the traffic relief project for West End Road. The Government Office for the North West has explained that nationally only five major new road schemes have been approved for the coming year.

Major road maintenance schemes planned for the year ahead include the A570 Greenfield Road, Dentons Green (Hard Lane to Hammill Street); the A572 Newton Road at Parr (Havannah Lane to Mersey Street); A49 Lodge Lane, Haydock (Penny Lane to borough boundary); A571 Haresfinch View, Haresfinch (roundabout to Washway Lane); A58 Liverpool Road, Billinge and Seneley Green (Calday Grove to Slag Lane) and A5059 Corporation Street, Parr and Hardshaw (Hall Street to Parr Street).

Reserve schemes are B5201 Bleak Hill Road, Windle (Crantock Grove to Stuart Grove) and A5999 Clipsley Lane, Haydock (Station Road to Grange Valley).

The minor works section of the government-approved package includes four schemes which are particularly important to the area. These are the Earlestown freight route improvements between Crow Lane and the railway bridge; the recently-completed second phase of pedestrianisation of Earlestown Market Street; bridge improvement at Atlas Street; and environmental works in Victoria Square, St Helens town centre, and Bridge Street, Earlestown.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.