ST HELENS Council says their teams filled in 1,700 potholes and resurfaced thousands of metres of roads in 2023 

The works are part of a five-year road safety strategy funded through different streams, including the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and the Department for Transport.

The state of the borough's roads hs come in for criticism from some Star readers over the past month, but the local authority says hundreds of potholes have been filled in the past year, while 70,000 metres squared of carriageway have been resurfaced.

In a statement circulated to the media, the council highlighted a number of road projects that had taken place, included the signalised CYCLOPS junction at Lea Green, which has provoked plenty of debate among readers over the past year.

Some of the works carried out as part of the strategy include

• Signalised CYCLOPS junction with pedestrian and cycling facilities in Lea Green

• New controlled toucan crossing on Merton Bank Road/Islands Brow

• Marshalls Cross Road/Elton Head Road and Elton Head Road/Lea Green Station junction upgrade

• Toucan crossing upgrade on Lugsmore Lane, Thatto Heath

• Puffin crossing upgrade on Baldiwn Street, St Helens Town Centre

• Junction upgrade with puffin and toucan crossings on Boundary Road/Kirkland Street

• Speed limit reductions and signage introduced on St Helens Linkway and Rainford Bypass

Ongoing schemes include targeting traffic flow around the A49 Mill Lane/A572 Southworth Road junction in Newton-le-Willows as part of "a junction mitigation scheme" to accommodate the Parkside Link Road Scheme.

This involves introducing a dedicated left-hand turn lane from the A572 to the A49. There are also improvements to the right-hand turn lane from the A49 to the A572.

In addition, existing traffic signals will be upgraded to the latest technology, incorporating enhanced pedestrian facilities at the junction. T

In a statement, Cllr Seve Gomez-Aspron, deputy leader of St Helens Borough Council and cabinet member for strategic transport, said: "Despite data showing the road safety risks in St Helens Borough is slightly lower than region trends, every death or serious injury on our roads is one too many so I am determined to ensure the 484 miles and road, as well as 553 miles of footways that we’re responsible for, is kept safe, accessible and in the best possible condition they can be, within our limited budget.

“We commit to do what we’ve always done, and learn from every incident through a measured, thorough and evidenced based process, in partnership with other organisations and services.

“With exciting regeneration projects happening on such a grand scale, St Helens borough is changing and growing – and with that, approaches to road safety must match and address the new risks and opportunities presented by a growing and developing borough which residents quite rightly expect to see.”