THE MP for St Helens North has hit out at Network Rail after being notified of major works on the Rainford bypass just one week before they were due to begin.
Starting from 5pm today (Saturday) until the end of October, lane closures will be in place on Rainford Road between Mossborough Island and Lodge Lane/Bushey Lane.
There will also be six full road closures between 5pm on Saturday to 6am on Monday over six weekends between now and October 26.
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The work is part of Network Rail’s £2 million Great North Rail Project, which will see the railway bridge spanning Rainford bypass refurbished and strengthened.
In preparation for the work, Network Rail has written to thousands of households, but Conor McGinn, Labour MP for St Helens North, says the residents should have had their views heard in a community consultation.
Mr McGinn, Shadow Minister of State for Security, said: “Improvements to our road and rail infrastructure are welcome, and this work on the bridge provides assurance that a rail service to Rainford will continue and hopefully improve connectivity in the future.
“But I was very disappointed to only receive notification of this major work last week. The closure of this section of the Rainford bypass at several weekends and lane closures over a number of months will have a significant impact on local residents and daily commuters.
“I have made it clear to Network Rail that when residents are facing this kind of disruption there should be widespread community consultation, rather than local people just getting a letter a week prior to the work starting, telling them it is happening.
“Diverting traffic through Rainford village over a number of weekends will require proper management and safeguarding, and the local community should have been involved in planning this.”
Mr McGinn said there also needs to be better communication between Network Rail, St Helens Council, the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, Highways England and utility companies about when and how major road works are done due to the disruption it causes.
He said: “The work at Windle Island has only recently been completed, we have ongoing work on the Lancs and now we will have further disruption on the Rainford bypass.
“Everyone accepts the need for improvement and the benefit it brings, but we also have to ensure workers, businesses, freight and motorists aren’t stuck in miles of queues for months on end.”
Network Rail said it is “committed” to working closely with St Helens Borough Council and Mr McGinn to monitor traffic levels while the works are ongoing.
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A spokesman for Network Rail said: “We are grateful to residents for their patience while we deliver £2 million of improvement work at Rainford bypass to ensure the safety of motorists and rail passengers for decades to come.
“This is complex work and we have worked closely with St Helens Council to avoid a full road closure throughout the work.
“Local communities are important to us. This is why we’ve written to more than 3,000 households and we are committed to working closely with the council and Mr McGinn to monitor traffic levels while traffic diversions are in place.”
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