Diversion warning for Leicester drivers as new £1.3m cycle lane work set to start
A city road will be made one-way over the coming months in a major £1.3 million project. The restrictions will be put in place along Abbey Gate, in Fosse ward, to allow work to create a new two-way cycle lane and improve paths to take place, Leicester City Council said.
The project is set to begin on Sunday (September 15) and is expected to take three months to complete. A full road closure will also be needed later in the year for road resurfacing, with the precise details to be announced at a later date, the local authority added.
During this first phase of restrictions, Abbey Gate will be made temporarily one-way from Woodgate to Ravensbridge Drive. Bradgate Street will also only take one-way traffic towards Blackbird Road.
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Diversions will be sign-posted and businesses will remain open as normal, the city council said. The £1.3 million scheme will be funded through a mix of Enterprise Zone funding through the Leicester and Leicestershire Enterprise Partnership (LLEP), and the Government’s Transforming Cities Fund.
Once completed, the improvements will help provide a “safe and attractive direct route linking new cycleways on the A50, within the Waterside housing development area, to Route 6 of the National Cycle Network at Abbey Park”, the council said. Geoff Whittle, assistant city mayor for environment and transport, added: “This important scheme will help provide a much-improved link to existing infrastructure for people on foot, on bikes or using wheelchairs or other mobility aids, extending the network of people-friendly routes in and around the thriving Waterside neighbourhood.
“It’s a further example of our commitment to deliver schemes that help make walking, wheeling and cycling the preferred choice for everyday trips for most people, and extend safe and attractive routes into our local neighbourhoods.”