A NEW programme of investment to improve and repair pavements along Leicester’s Melton Road is getting under way.
Leicester City Council will begin work on Sunday (1 September) to replace the existing uneven pavement on the outbound stretch of the busy shopping street, between Ascot Road and Checketts Road.
The new footpath surface will be laid in high-quality block paving. Existing tree pits will be covered with a porous resin-bound material to help improve drainage, and new drainage channels will also be installed where required.
Work will be carried out in sections to help minimise disruption to pedestrians and nearby businesses and is expected to take around 15 weeks to complete.
To ensure a safe working environment, temporary closures on part of the outbound lane of Melton Road, between Ascot Road and Checketts Road, may be required. These will be managed with temporary traffic signals as required.
The work, which will cost around £250,000, is being funded through the city council’s annual highways maintenance programme.
It will be the first phase of a planned programme of investment to improve several sections of footway along Melton Road in coming years, subject to funding.
The scheme will take a similar approach to improvements recently completed on Narborough Road, following a three-year rolling programme of investment to repair and spruce up sections of footway.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby said: “This first phase of investment in repairing and replacing broken and uneven pavements on part of Melton Road will help improve the look and feel of area and make it more attractive for residents and shoppers.
“Projects like this are an important part of ensuring that our neighbourhood shopping streets and busy routes into the city stay looking their best.”
This latest phase of work on Melton Road follows investment to repair and improve the eastern side of the historic Melton Road cycleway – between Troon Way and Lanesborough Road – which has been resurfaced and converted into a safe and convenient two-way route for cyclists.
The city council also recently completed work to resurface around 12,000 sqm of carriageway on part of busy Melton Road, between Marfitt Street and Loughborough Road.