Contractors for Liverpool City Council are working on Princes Avenue and Road in Toxteth as part of a scheme which is seeing the creation of a cycle path on the central reservation. Tony McDonough reports
A major Liverpool boulevard will be subject to a number of temporary closures from Wednesday as work gets under way on a £4m transformation programme.
Contractors for Liverpool City Council are working on Princes Avenue and Road in Toxteth as part of a scheme which is seeing the creation of a cycle path along the central reservation.
Improvements to the area include new pedestrian and cycle paths, toucan crossings, carriageway surface, drainage and footway improvements as well as new seating, lighting and improved public artwork and planting of 20 trees.
Under the schedule, Princes Road in to the city closed from the roundabout to Upper Parliament Street from Wednesday, April 15, until Wednesday, April 29, and Monday, May 18 until Friday, May 22
Princes Avenue out of the city closed from Upper Parliament Street to the roundabout from Thursday, April 30, until Friday, May 15. Both Upper Warwick Street and North Hill Street junctions will be closed throughout the period and temporary bus diversions have been put in place.
The city council says the works are still being carried out in line with Government guidelines on safe working and social distancing during the coronavirus outbreak.
The project, which falls between Upper Parliament Street and Princes Park Gate, also aims to stimulate the wider regeneration of an area that was created in Liverpool’s Victorian maritime heyday.
The wide, tree-lined boulevard styled avenue leading up to Princes Park was built for the city’s merchant class and boasts grand houses as well as a stunning range of religious architecture, including the Grade I-listed Gothic/Moorish revival masterpiece that is the Princes Road Jewish Synagogue.
This scheme is part of Liverpool City Region’s Sustainable Transport Enhancement Package (STEP) and the city council was successful in being awarded just under £2m from the STEP programme. The remainder of the funding will be provided through the council’s £500m Better Roads programme.
As part of the creative engagement process the L8 community including children from local schools, contributed to the design and literature for the artwork in the public realm areas.
Cllr Sharon Connor, Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet member for highways, said: “The Princes Avenue/Road scheme will help breathe new life into this area. It’s going to revive the most beautiful boulevard in the city and transform how the wider Toxteth community interact and use this reimagined space.
“We know the roads are much quieter than normal due to the current coronavirus restrictions which means there will be a much lower impact than usual.”