Work starts on £4m Liverpool road improvements

Liverpool City Council will take advantage of the quiet roads to carry out improvements to Princes Avenue and Princes Road which connect Toxteth with the Georgian Quarter. 

The roads, which are divided by a tree-lined footpath, run parallel to one another between Upper Parliament Street and Princes Park.

The works include new pedestrian and cycle paths, toucan crossings, carriageway resurfacing and improvements to drainage and footpaths. Seating, lighting, improved public artwork and tree planting also form part of the project. 

Starting today, the works will require a number of streets to be closed for certain periods up to the scheduled date of completion, 22 May: 

• Princes Road, from the roundabout at the entrance to Princes Park to the junction with Upper Parliament Street, will be closed from today until 29 April and again from 18 May to 22 May 
• Princes Avenue, from the roundabout at the entrance of Princes Park to the junction with Upper Parliament Street will be closed from 30 April until 15 May 
• Both Upper Warwick Street and North Hill Street junctions will be closed throughout the period 

The scheme aims to stimulate the wider regeneration of an area created during Liverpool’s Victorian maritime hey-day, according to a statement from Liverpool City Council. 

The boulevard-style avenue was built for the city’s merchant class and is home to the grade one-listed Princes Road Synagogue. 

The project is being funded in part by the Sustainable Transport Enhancement Package which is providing £2m, with the other 50% being funded through the council’s £500m Better Roads programme.  

Cllr Sharon Connor, Liverpool City Council’s cabinet member for highways, said: “The Princes Avenue/Road scheme will help breathe new life into this area. 

“It’s going to revive the most beautiful boulevard in the city and transform how the wider Toxteth community interact and use this reimagined space. 

“We know the roads are much quieter than normal due to the current coronavirus restrictions which means there will be a much lower impact than usual. 

“This is classed as essential works and we will be making sure that contractors abide by the rules around social distancing and PPE.”