VITAL road improvements supporting a new £100million retail, housing and office complex in Kendal will get underway next week.
On Monday (February 8) work starts to install traffic signals, new street lighting and resurface two roads to improve transport connections to the new Riverside Development.
The works are being undertaken by Thomas Armstrong Ltd under contract to
Cumbria County Council on behalf of the Riverside Development with the developer meeting the £700,000 costs.
They will see the resurfacing of Lound Road from Aynam Road to the Lound Road petrol station and resurfacing of Parkside Road as far as the United Utilities depot.
Traffic lights and a pedestrian crossing are going to be installed at the junction of Lound Road and Parkside Road as well as new street lights and traffic lights at the entrance and exit of the Riverside Development.
The works, set to be fully completed by the end of May are being carried out under temporary traffic lights that can be controlled manually if needed to improve traffic flow.
From February 8 until April 1 a one way traffic order is going to be in place between Nether Bridge and Parkside Road for south bound traffic with northbound traffic diverted onto Romney Road, Milnthorpe Road and then onwards to the town centre.
While the one-way traffic order is in place the half-hourly 41/41A bus service from Oxenholme to Kendal will be diverted via Romney Road and Milnthorpe Road, meaning it will not be possible to serve the two stops on Lound Road. The Lound Road stops will continue to be served on journeys from Kendal to Oxenholme and Helme Chase.
The 567 Kirkby Lonsdale-Kendal and 564 Kirkby Stephen-Kendal services will also be directed via the same diversion.
Councillor Geoff Cook, chairman of Cumbria County Council's local committee for South Lakeland, said: "The highways improvements being carried out are essential to the new Riverside Development that is bringing a massive amount of investment into Kendal, creating jobs and boosting the local economy.
"While there is inevitably going to be some disruption with this work, which we apologise for, the long-term benefits are going to far outweigh any short-term inconvenience, and we thank people in advance for their patience."
