Work on new Blackburn roundabout to start in May

Work on an eight-month project to build a new four-arm roundabout on a busy road to serve major Blackburn housing developments will start in May.

The £1.75million scheme which will realign Whalley Old Road will need a lengthy closure causing major traffic disruption.

It will serve the controversial Sunnybower Meadow housing estate of 165 new homes currently being built by Vistry Partnerships/Bovis Homes, and pave the way for a proposed 1,500-home development in North-East Blackburn, on 241 acres of land off Brownhill Drive in the future.

An application for a lawful development certificate for the project was submitted to Blackburn with Darwen Council planners by its highways department in December.

Now the authority’s growth boss Cllr Quesir Mahmood has started the process of tendering for a main contractor for the scheme and revealed the schedule for the project.

In a report to council colleagues he says: “The new four-arm roundabout to be constructed on Whalley Old Road is to provide a second entrance to the housing site being developed by Vistry and to eventually provide an access to the North-East Blackburn Strategic Housing Site.

“The council will issue tenders to a maximum of five tenderers in early January with construction works expected to commence May 2026 and be complete by the end of the year.

“The works will consist of a new four-arm roundabout adjacent to the existing bus turning area on Whalley Old Road and make provision to:

“• amend the layout of the highway to improve vehicle movements through the network and provide site access to the north and south;

“• widen footways to improve routes for non-motorised vehicles; and

“• provide access to the adjacent proposed housing developments.

“The new roundabout scheme will:

“• support in reducing congestion on the network by providing improved access into the housing development sites;

“• improve safety by slowing down approaching traffic to the roundabout which will be supported by reduction in speed limits;

“• improve walking and cycling routes crossing Whalley Old Road; and

“• support future housing growth in the borough.

“The total capital budget for the scheme is £1,750,000.

“£1,500,000 is council funding with s106 contributions of £250,000.”

Cllr Saj Ali, Cllr Mahmood’s 4BwD opposition counterpart, said: “I’m in support of the work which will be carried out.

“I also would like add that I hope whoever gets the tender will stick with the time limit.”

Conservative spokesman Cllr Paul Marrow said: “The council, which will soon be defunct, is pressing ahead with these new housing developments in Sunny Bower and tarmacking over large parts of the area despite the downturn in the market.

“This project will put extra strain on already overstretched infrastructure.”