THE next phase of a rolling programme to repair and improve pavements, street furniture and bollards along Narborough Road is due to get underway this weekend.
Leicester City Council is carrying out the scheme to spruce up public areas for local businesses and residents, and will involve replacing broken slabs with concrete blocks, improved drainage, repairs to pavement damage caused by tree roots and installing new bollards, as well as new cycle racks where possible to prevent vehicles parking on the pavement.
This latest section of work, costing £130,000, is due to begin on Sunday, January 9, and will take eight weeks.
It will concentrate on improvements to the city-bound section of Narborough Road from its junction with Saxon Street and its junction with Hinckley Road.
Some waiting restrictions will be in place where work is taking place, and some parking bays in nearby Celt Street will be used for equipment vehicles.
Letters have been sent to local residents and businesses informing them of the work.
Previous stages of the work took place in 2020 and 2021.
They included a £98,000 investment on pavement improvements on the stretch of Narborough Road from Shaftesbury Road to just after the junction with Saxon Street; £175,000 on a phase covering the areas from Roman Street to Briton Street outbound, and also from Westcotes Drive to Shaftesbury Road inbound.
The first phase of works in March 2020 saw £145,000 spent on repairs in the area between Narborough Road's junctions with Upperton Road and Equity Road.
Leicester deputy city mayor and Westcotes ward councillor, Sarah Russell, said: “These repairs and improvements have really made a big difference to the appearance of Narborough Road, and will benefit everyone using it.
“Business in this area, many of which are small, independent firms, have suffered from the ongoing disruption of Covid-19, so we’ve been careful to phase the work in such a way that it doesn’t cause more problems and also helps support them by making the area more attractive.”
The work is being funded through Leicester City Council's highway maintenance capital fund.
(Ends)