ALMOST £800,000 is being invested in road repairs and resurfacing schemes over the coming weeks in the city’s neighbourhoods.
Leicester City Council is carrying out the second part of a major summer programme of works, taking place throughout August.
Two large schemes will focus around Swain Street and Sparkenhoe Street in Highfields, and on a large section on Thurmaston Lane.
Smaller projects will take place in the city’s Rushey Mead, Belgrave and Castle wards.
The first scheme to get underway is at Saltcoates Avenue, in Rushey Mead, which will close to traffic from Monday, August 1, for two days. The resurfacing work will cover 1,135 square metres at a cost of £43,000.
Starting on Wednesday, August 3, and lasting three day, Glendon Street in Belgrave will be resurfaced at a cost of £71,000. The road will close for three days during the work.
Finally, Carlton Street in the city’s Castle Ward will close to traffic for two days while a £30,000 resurfacing scheme is carried out there. It starts on Tuesday, August 9, and lasts for two days.
Major works will get underway from Sunday, August 7, until Saturday, August 13, to completely resurface Swain Street and Sparkenhoe Street, between St Georges Way and Willow Court.
The section between Willow Court and Conduit Street will be completed and reopened to traffic on Tuesday, August 9. In total the scheme will cost £150,000 and will resurface 4,100 square metres of road.
The biggest scheme will take place on Thurmaston Lane, involving the KFC roundabout and all the roads leading from it.
Roundabout resurfacing work will take place from Saturday, August 13, until Friday, August 26. Thurmaston Lane will remain open throughout the works.
For one week either before and after the actual resurfacing, a temporary crossing point will be built at the existing grass verge, as part of work to enable the road to stay open during the works.
In addition, Victoria Road East will be closed during the resurfacing work, but access to Lewisher Road will continue. In total the scheme will repair or resurface nearly 15,000 square metres of road at a cost of £500,000.
It is the second stage of roadworks taking place over the summer, following an investment of more than £500,000 on work which got underway at the start of July.
Work has already been completed in Braunstone, St Peters, Humberstone and Hamilton, Troon, Evington and Fosse, while a major resurfacing project is underway at Queens Road in the city’s Knighton/Castle wards. The final scheme of that first phase, at Uppingham Road in North Evington, is due to start from July 23.
Much of the more major work is timed to take place during the school summer holidays, when there is less traffic on the roads.
Leicester deputy city mayor for environment and transportation, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “As we are seeing this week, roads have to be able to withstand extremes of temperature from snow and ice through to extreme summer heat, and it is vital that we carry out resurfacing works to ensure the city’s roads are kept in good condition and traffic keeps moving.
“It’s part of an ongoing investment which is needed to make sure our roads can cope with the modern demands they face.”
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