Environmental pre-opening of new by pass.

School children and community leaders will plant trees along a new by pass in St. Helens, prior to its opening by Transport Minister Dr. Stephen Ladyman.

The £8.4-million Blackbrook By-Pass is hailed as a major environmental achievement, significantly reducing traffic along a heavily populated area of the Borough.

Tomorrow (February 7) at 10. 30am children from schools in the area will join the Mayor, Councillor Teresa Sims and local community leaders to plant trees which will all have commemorative plaques on them to mark the event.

The Blackbrook Diversion scheme provides a bypass to West End Road, comprising a new single-carriageway road (including uphill crawler lane) 1.3 km long between the Ship Inn on Blackbrook Road and the A58/A580 junction at Pewfall.

A footway/cycleway extends for the full length of the bypass, on its northern side, and a spur road connects between a new roundabout on the bypass and Vicarage Road.
       
Complementary improvement measures are to be carried out on West End Road which will serve to discourage through-traffic from using the road, reduce vehicle speeds and make the environment safer and more pleasant for pedestrians, cyclists and local residents.

Transport Minister, Dr. Stephen Ladyman will visit the project on Wednesday, February 14.  He and  a civic party will travel to the site on vintage buses from St. Helens Transport Museum and Valley Brass Band will lead the entourage at 11.45am along the new by pass.

Ends

Press release issued: February 6 2007