Long delays from St Annes to Blackpool as council continues major roadworks

Clifton Drive North is in the process of having a two-way cycle path installed in a £1.1m project partially funded by Lancashire County Council.

READ: Busy road between Blackpool and St Annes to be narrowed and speed limit slashed to make way for two-way cycle path

Manual stop-go signs were introduced this week as part of the ongoing roadworks, which will see the carriageway narrowed and the speed limit slashed from 40mph to 30mph between Starr Gate and Highbury Road West.

This has resulted in long queues in both directions, extending onto Squires Gate Lane, South Shore.

Queensway, which provides an alternative route from St Annes to Blackpool, is also reported to be busy as drivers try to avoid the delays on the seafront.

A Lancashire County Council spokesman said: “The good news is… there's only around one week of work left to do.”

They added: "We're aware that Clifton Drive North is a very busy road and have planned the work to construct the new cycling and walking scheme very carefully to keep disruption to a minimum.

"We have needed more traffic management from the start of this week as we're now working to install 11 new pedestrian refuges along the length of the scheme to make it easier for people to cross the road.

"Operating this manually with 'stop and go' boards means we can respond better to traffic levels and keep everyone moving as well as possible. However, there were some longer delays yesterday as the poor weather affected how we were able to work, and we're sorry for the inconvenience to people's journeys.

"The work to the pedestrian refuges is due to be completed on Thursday next week after which we'll be able to remove most of the cones, and people will be able to start using the new shared track. There will be some minor work to finish the following week on the bus shelters, but this will not impact traffic."

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