There are currently 1,457 work projects scheduled in Liverpool over the course of the next week and beyond, including 111 projects which will require full or partial road closures, according to the Liverpool Echo.
The current situation has been described as “sheer madness” with local residents insisting that they’re causing “gridlock” to transport routes across the city. In addition to the impact on travel times, some of the roadworks are being conducted overnight in residential neighbourhoods, resulting in severe noise disturbances to local residents.
The Echo has received numerous complaints about roadworks in the last few days, mostly centred on the five-mile stretch along Queens Drive – seen as one of the city’s main transport arteries. To assess and verify some of the the issues raised to us, we decided to take a mini-tour along Queens Drive and see what was happening on the ground.
It is understood that not all lane or road closures are related to works commissioned by Liverpool City Council (LCC) however, with many of the roadworks managed by utility companies looking to upgrade infrastructure. Several of the projects are facilitated by LCC including at the junction of Queens Drive and Dovedale Road in Mossley Hill, where people have complained about poor planning, inadequate consultation and anti-social working hours.
A Liverpool City Council spokesperson said:
“Roadworks play an essential role in maintaining and improving the network for all road users, while utility works are necessary to provide the services that power our homes, businesses, and communities.
“The authority receives a high number of requests to undertake essential work on the highway, and as such works may need to be carried out in close proximity to each other.
“We understand that any work carried out on our roads has the potential to cause disruption, so we take steps to ensure that all activities are delivered safely, efficiently and with the minimum possible impact.
“To reduce congestion on roads which carry significant volumes of traffic, some works are carried out overnight. When this happens, we take measures to reduce noise and disturbance to residents wherever possible.”
(Picture: Liverpool City Council)
