Work begins on route between Lea Green and Whiston Hospital

Funded by Active Travel England and delivered by St Helens Council, the new infrastructure is one of seven complementary routes as part of the CYCLOPS junction at Lea Green.

The proposed scheme to link Lea Green to Whiston Hospital will begin by connecting Bloor Homes’ Suttonfields housing development on Sherdley Road to nearby St John Vianney Catholic Primary School on Elton Head Road, with works currently ongoing to install a cycle path to connect Sutton Park with Sherdley Park.

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The proposed active travel route from Lea Green to Whiston Hospital (Image: St Helens Council) With increasing active travel routes popping up in St Helens, the scheme aims to make sustainable travel an easier choice for residents and prioritise the safety of pedestrians and cyclists.

The current Lea Green project will result in a number of safety improvements for pedestrians and cyclists along this corridor, including:

• A fully protected cycle track along the northern side of Elton Head Road
• A traffic signal controlled parallel crossing on Sherdley Road
• New traffic signals at Sutton Heath Road junction
• The installation of a toucan crossing outside St John Vianney Primary School
• Resurfacing of footways along the northern side of Elton Head Road
• Drainage installation works
• Installation of new cycle parking and bench seating

Councillor Seve Gomez-Aspron, St Helens Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Transport, said: “It’s an important part of any major development, like housing, these days that the correct level of highway infrastructure is in place to allow residents to access employment, education, and leisure opportunities by foot or on bike as an alternative to the car.

“What’s great about this particular scheme is that it’s in close proximity to a primary school, St John Vianney, who have been very supportive of the project, which will allow pupils to walk cycle, or scoot to and from school in a safe manner and hopefully decrease congestion at key times which can be a problem in the area.”

The contractor for the scheme is George Cox and Sons Ltd and various traffic management including multi-way signals will be operation throughout the works, with traffic flow managed daily to ensure any delays are kept to a minimum.

Diversion routes will be in place for motor vehicles and pedestrians during any closures, and advanced warning signs erected on site in advance on the closure dates.

Works are expected to be completed by spring 2025. More information on the scheme can be found here.