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Currently Balfour Beatty remain operational, in line with current government guidance on COVID-19. However, they'll only be undertaking activities where they're able to appropriately implement the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) issued on 4 July 2020 by the Construction Leadership Council.

Here's a list of the work in progress during the next few weeks from 7 August 2020:

Chester Road

• Carriageway widening works
• Drainage installation
• Installation of traffic signal and street lighting cable ducts
• Footway construction
• Raising main investigatory works

Wilson Patten Street

• Carriageway widening works
• Drainage installation
• Installation of traffic signal and street lighting cable ducts
• Footway/cycleway construction
• Realignment of kerbs including installation of kerbing across Arpley Street junction. There'll be no future access onto Arpley Street from Wilson Patten Street and the entrance to the southern end of Arpley Street will be from Museum Street. Signage will be put in place to reflect this. 

Slutchers Lane

• Carriageway and footway reconstruction from the bus link to the station car park (15 May to 4 August 2020)
• Carriageway remedials and ironwork replacement from the site compound to Network Rail Maintenance Depot
• Vegetation clearence
• Piling and vehicle works adjacent to the railway bridge (4 August onwards)

Traffic management

Chester Road

• Narrow Lanes in operation between Chester Road Services (Texaco garage) and Gainsborough Road
• Right turn lane removal and right turn vehicle movement restrictions into and out of Gainsborough Road 
• Stop and go boards will be used for deliveries into the site and footway works where required

Wilson Patten Street

• Narrow Lanes in operation from Bank Quay Station to Arpley Street. Right turn filter Lane removed into Slutchers Lane 
• Stop and go boards will be used for site access where required
• From 10 August for a duration of 3 weeks, the footway on the north side of Wilson Patten Street will be closed. Pedestrians will be diverted onto the opposite side of the road using the zebra crossing close to Bold Street and the puffin crossing outside Warrington Bank Quay station.

Arply Street

• Road closed at the junction with Wilson Patten Street (from 27 April 2020 onward)

Slutchers Lane

• Road closure of Slutchers Lane at the railway bridge (4 August 2020 onwards)
• Two-way temporary traffic signals to be utilised to provide access to the station car park (as and when required)

Please note, these timescales are subject to change due to the nature of live construction projects and the evolving COVID-19 situation. Any changes to the scheme will be updated on this webpage.

Bus Services

Slutchers Lane

During this time businesses on Slutchers Lane to the south of the bus link (including Jones Lighting and Irrigation Control) will access via Brian Bevan roundabout, Park Boulevard, Lakeside Drive and Centre Park Square through the upgraded bus link. Access to the station car park and the private service road next to the railway bridge will remain via Slutchers Lane from Wilson Patten Street.

From 4 August 2020, access to the station car park will be by the diversion route in place through the bus link (via Brian Bevan roundabout, Park Boulevard, Lakeside Drive and Centre Park Square). The access for the private service road will remain from Wilson Patten Street during this time.

Phasing of works and traffic management to allow installation of a retaining wall adjacent to the station car park entrance will continue. Therefore, access to the private service road will remain from Wilson Patten Street. Following this phase (from September), all access to Slutchers Lane until scheme completion (December 2020) will be via the new bridge from Chester Road.

We'll be maintaining pedestrian access at all times. However, it will be under the control of the principal contractor Balfor Beatty during the working hours.

Please note, these timescales are subject to change due to the nature of live construction projects and the evolving situation of COVID-19.

Gainsborough Road/Chester Road

As part of the construction of Centre Park Link, a right turn ban for all traffic turning from Gainsborough Road onto Chester Road will be in operation from early March for a period of approximately 5 months until July 2020. The current proposed date of operation is 9 March but this may be subject to change.

Consequently, Warrington’s Own Buses confirmed that their no 11 Service won't be able to serve Gainsborough Road and Chester Road due to the lack of a suitable alternative route. Instead, it will turn right at the end of Loushers Lane and access the town centre via Wilderspool Causeway. Therefore, the westbound stops on the southern side of Gainsborough Road won't be served by bus services for the duration of the right turn ban. 

It was intended that this service be diverted along Irwell Road. However, following feedback from residents and Warrington’s Own Buses operational assessment is no longer possible due to concerns about the ability of buses to safely negotiate parked vehicles.

However, Gainsborough Road will continue with a regular bus service throughout this period as Warrington’s Own Buses circular service no 12 will be unaffected and operate on its normal route. The no 12 serves the same route as the no 11 but in the opposite direction. Therefore, the no 12 service can provide access to the town centre but will add an additional 10 minutes to your journey, as you'll need to travel in via Latchford.

The return journey from the town centre on the number 12 service will operate as normal and will be unaffected.

The X30 service (operated by ARRIVA between Warrington and Chester) will operate as normal along Chester Road. Please note that the bus stop on Chester Road outside the Texaco petrol station, will come back into service on Monday 9 March.

We'd like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to bus users by this temporary service diversion.
 

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