21 roads in Blackburn and Darwen to benefit from HS2 cash

Bill Jacobs
·2-min read
The saving was re-allocated to the north
The saving was re-allocated to the north -Credit:Getty Images


Cash from the mothballed HS2 scheme will be spent on 21 roads across Blackburn and Darwen, it has been confirmed.

The Department for Transport has given a £612,000 grant to Blackburn with Darwen Council to maintain the borough’s road network paid for from the cancellation of the Birmingham to Manchester leg of the high speed rail link to London.

The saving was re-allocated to the north to create the Network North Plan – an £8.3billion commitment to highways maintenance across England over the next 11 years. It to be used for the resurfacing of carriageways, cycleways, and footways to prevent potholes and other road defects occurring.

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The additional funding from the Network North Plan represents a 30 per cent increase and will allow the highways department to re-surface approximately 6.2 kilometres of road a year which is 1.2 per cent of the network, as opposed to 4.5km, or per per cent of the network with previous funding levels.

In Blackburn with Darwen in 2024/25 four roads will receive surface dressing schemes to prolong their life. They are:

  • Egerton Road Corridor in West Pennine ward;

  • Long Lane in Billinge and Beardwood ward;

  • The A666 in Darwen from Falcon Avenue to Birch Hall Avenue; and

  • Rivington Road, Belmont

Another 15 will will be resurfaced to address deterioration.

They are:

  • Troy Street, Blackburn;

  • Accrington Road, Blackburn;

  • Billinge End Road, Blackburn;

  • Livingstone Road, Blackburn;

  • Sough Road, Darwen;

  • Vale Street, Darwen;

  • Amber Avenue, Blackburn;

  • Beryl Avenue, Blackburn;

  • Bolton Road, Blackburn;

  • Harwood Street, Darwen;

  • Lammack Road, Blackburn;

  • Walker Road, Blackburn;

  • Alderman Arthur Townsend Way, Blackburn;

  • Kelsall Avenue, Blackburn; and

  • Greenhead Avenue, Blackburn

Two roads will see patching schemes, to remediate any defects and improve the condition.

They are:

  • Owlet Hall Road, Darwen; and

  • Prospect Avenue, Darwen.

Blackburn with Darwen Council’s growth boss Cllr Quesir Mahmood said: “We are grateful for this extra boost of funding from the Department of Transport. However, the borough’s road network is deteriorating rapidly and requires significantly more capital to maintain it.

“We would welcome further grants from the government to be able to do this. The highways department used their asset management strategy to prioritise work based on the current conditions of roadways, with the aim of extending the life of the road network and the overall impact on communities.”

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