Work on Burnley's Yorkshire Street 'culvert' due to be completed next week

The essential maintenance work has caused severe disruption to traffic in and around Burnley due to the closure of Yorkshire Street.

The work to the bridge, which carries the Leeds and Liverpool canal over the road, is needed to make sure it retains its strength and prolong its life by preventing corrosion. It involves grit blasting and painting the underside of the bridge, as well as some concrete repairs. The culvert forms part of the Straight Mile, one of the wonders of the British canal system.

Diversion routes for all vehicles are signed on the approaches to Yorkshire Street, however pedestrians are able to pass below the bridge as normal. The road is closed either side of the bridge, with access for properties and businesses on Yorkshire Street available from the Harry Potts Way end.

The maintenance, due to be completed by the end of next week, is not part of the Town2Turf scheme currently taking place in the area, but has been timed to take place at the same time to avoid further disruption and ensure that all work to the aqueduct is completed before the start of the new football season.

County Coun. Rupert Swarbrick, cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "Carrying out repairs and maintenance to a structure as big as Yorkshire Street Aqueduct in such a busy area will always involve some level of disruption, and I'm grateful for people's patience while we do this vital work.

"We've done what we can to minimise the inconvenience to people's journeys by working with Burnley Council to coordinate the timing alongside the Town2Turf scheme, in order to limit the length of time we're impacting this part of the town centre.

"It also means that the aqueduct will be in keeping with the improvements to the surrounding area once the Town2Turf work has been completed, ensuring this part of Burnley will look really smart.”

The diversion for vehicles, which are be in place at all times during the work, are via Church Street, Colne Road, Eastern Avenue and Belvedere Road, and vice versa.

The main road outside Turf Moor, Harry Potts Way, has now been shut in one direction as part of the £6m. Town2Turf scheme.