Drivers' '˜nightmare' as council trials temporary lights on busy diversion route

Temporary lights have been put up at this junction (Pic: Google)

A spokesman for Blackpool Council said the lights ‘are an attempt to improve safety’ at the junction, with officers ‘observing its effect’ following several crashes since Crossley’s Bridge closed in November.

But motorists this morning described an ‘absolute nightmare’ as they reported moving 100 metres in 20 minutes on Devonshire Road, one of two main diversion routes away from the rotting Crossley’s Bridge, which is shut until Easter while it is knocked down and rebuilt.

The other, along the Promenade, was also exceptionally busy, drivers said.

Crossley’s Bridge, a main arterial route linking Blackpool and Bispham, Cleveleys, and Fleetwood, has been closed since the Illuminations ended.

It needed to be replaced because it was rotting, the council said, or face being shut altogether. The bridge is also being heightened so Network Rail, which has contributed a chunk of the £6.1m bill, can carry out electrification work.

The closure had already seen queues on and around Devonshire Road during the morning and evening rush hours, with the ambulance service voicing concern of six-minute delays in emergencies.

It should be partially reopen from Friday, April 7.