Here’s the latest roadworks updates for around Liverpool.

Baltic Triangle
The CCMS scheme to improve the pavements and highways in the Baltic Triangle area is due to start on site on Monday, 15th March.

Sections of Jamaica Street will be closed to traffic to allow the works to be completed safely and efficiently. The first phase will be from Parliament Street to Jordan Street with a full closure of this section of Jamaica Street from March 15th to the end of May. The works will then move along Jamaica Street with a further section closure.

From March 15th there will also be a Phase 1b on site outside the bicycle shop Giant on Parliament Street for the installation of parking bays and repaving. This will be weekend working only and will require lane closures on Parliament Street.

Knowledge Quarter/Mount Pleasant
Work is due to begin on the CCMS scheme in the Knowledge Quarter on Monday, 15th March.

The upper part of Mount Pleasant from the junction with Oxford Street to Brownlow Hill will be closed to traffic for at least 42 weeks to allow the works to be completed safely.

Access to the University car parks, Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Cathedral House and the Catholic Chaplaincy to the University will be maintained at all times from the Brownlow Hill junction.

Work will also begin to repave Clarence Street, starting at the Brownlow Hill end of the road.

Commercial District
Work will begin on Dale Street on Monday 22nd March and Old Hall Street on Monday 29th March as part of the City Centre Movement Strategy highway improvement scheme.

On Dale Street the work will begin at the Town Hall end of the street, on that side of the road, and will be in the pavement area only. There will be lane closures, temporary bus stops and suspension of some parking and loading to allow the work to be carried out safely. The work area will move in sections towards Hatton Garden before moving back along the opposite side of the road over a 12 month period.

On Old Hall Street the work will begin at the Leeds Street end, on the SAS Radisson Hotel side of the road up to the Passport Office. The improvements will then move to the opposite side of the road moving away from Leeds Street in sections.

The whole scheme will take 12 months to be completed.

Hall Lane Strategic Gateway
Hall Lane Strategic Gateway, now under construction, will provide a much improved traffic route for vehicles entering Liverpool from the east and will take traffic out of the residential areas.

Work is now on site and on programme. All demolition works are now complete and excavation is underway. Preparation of the road formation is being carried out in various locations. The Presbytery rebuild is continuing and this should be completed in early May.

Several utility companies are working in the area to divert services which will affect the roads in the area over the next few months.

Work is continuing to build the new retaining wall along Mount Vernon Street and the new section of the road, which will be called Low Hill. This wall will ultimately be cladded in sandstone.

There are no major works on the highway or traffic diversions at this time however there will be major diversions from mid March as statutory diversion works begin on Low Hill and Irvine Street. 

West Derby Street will close on May 3rd with all necessary diversion signs and signal in place before then.

The Minshull Street outbound bus stop is to be suspended for the duration of the closure and replaced with a temporary stop outside the computer laboratory on Brownlow Hill.

The inbound stop on West Derby Street for the number 79 bus will be suspended and passengers for the hospital will use the existing stop on Brownlow Hill.

A59/Rice Lane
Work to improve road safety began on January 18th and will take 20 weeks to complete. All businesses remain open for the duration of the works.

While the works are on site, Rice Lane between Hornby Road and Cavendish Drive will be one way coming into the city centre only. Traffic travelling outbound follows a diversion route via Breeze Hill, Southport Road, onto Hornby Road and back onto Rice Lane. Traffic will still be able to access Cavendish Drive from the south but for access only.

Kerbing and footpath work is complete on the west side of Rice Lane from Queens Drive all along to Hornby Road.

Kerbing and footpath work is underway on the east side of Rice Lane from Queens Drive working towards Cavendish Drive and also from Hornby Road, citybound, to the Sefton Road junction.

The carriageway resurfacing works has now started between Queens Drive and Cavendish Drive. This will continue over the next few days into the closed off section of Rice Lane after Cavendish Drive.

 The contractor is also working with utility companies to carry out maintenance work as the scheme progresses.

Liverpool Half Marathon
Sunday, 28th March - Waterfront and Sefton Park Areas

The race begins at 9.30am and will finish around 11.30am. The road closures will begin around 8am and will be lifted where possible as the race progresses.
The route is:

Queens Wharf, Wapping (junction with Queens Wharf to junction with Liver Street), Liver Street junction with Wapping to junction with Park Lane), Park Lane, St James Street, Great George Street (junction with St James Street to junction with Upper Parliament Street), Upper Parliament Street (junction with Great George Street to junction with Princes Road), Princes Road, Devonshire Road, Belvidere Road, Ullet Road (junction with Belvidere Road to junction with Sefton Park Road, Windermere Terrace, Princes Park circulatory road, Aigburth Drive (junction with Ullet Road to junction Croxteth Drive), Croxteth Drive, Greenbank Drive (junction with Croxteth Drive to junction with Mossley Hill Drive), into Sefton Park, Mossley Hill Drive (junction with Ibbotsons Lane to junction with Elmswood Road, Sefton Park inner pathways, Aigburth Drive (junction with Croxteth Drive to junction with Aigburth Road slip-road), Aigburth Road slip-road (junction with Aigburth Road to junction with Ashfield Road), Aigburth Road sub-way/underpass, Jericho Lane (junction with Aigburth Road to junction with Jericho Close), Otterspool Park inner pathways, Otterspool Promenade (from Mersey Road to Atlantic Way, Atlantic Way, Kings Parade. 

Whilst the runners proceed from Queens Wharf into Liver Street, traffic will be temporarily held at Chaloner Street (northbound) / Queens Wharf junction and Strand Street (southbound) / Liver Street junction.

For more information on these and other highway schemes, please visit www.liverpool.gov.uk/highwayprojects

Baltic Triangle
The CCMS scheme to improve the pavements and highways in the Baltic Triangle area is due to start on site on Monday, 15th March.

Sections of Jamaica Street will be closed to traffic to allow the works to be completed safely and efficiently. The first phase will be from Parliament Street to Jordan Street with a full closure of this section of Jamaica Street from March 15th to the end of May. The works will then move along Jamaica Street with a further section closure.

From March 15th there will also be a Phase 1b on site outside the bicycle shop Giant on Parliament Street for the installation of parking bays and repaving. This will be weekend working only and will require lane closures on Parliament Street.

Knowledge Quarter/Mount Pleasant
Work is due to begin on the CCMS scheme in the Knowledge Quarter on Monday, 15th March.

The upper part of Mount Pleasant from the junction with Oxford Street to Brownlow Hill will be closed to traffic for at least 42 weeks to allow the works to be completed safely.

Access to the University car parks, Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Cathedral House and the Catholic Chaplaincy to the University will be maintained at all times from the Brownlow Hill junction.

Work will also begin to repave Clarence Street, starting at the Brownlow Hill end of the road.

Byrom Street
The northbound carriageway of Byrom Street, between Dale Street and Great Crosshall Street in Liverpool city centre is to be resurfaced over the weekend. Work will start on Friday 5th March, after peak travelling time, and will be completed by 6am on Monday 8th March. The diversion route is Dale Street, Hatton Garden and Great Crosshall Street.

Hall Lane Strategic Gateway
Hall Lane Strategic Gateway, now under construction, will provide a much improved traffic route for vehicles entering Liverpool from the east and will take traffic out of the residential areas.

Work is now on site and on programme. All demolition works are now complete and excavation is underway. Preparation of the road formation is being carried out in various locations. The Presbytery rebuild is continuing and this should be completed in early May.

Work is continuing to build the new retaining wall along Mount Vernon Street and the new section of the road, which will be called Low Hill.
There are no major works on the highway or traffic diversions at this time however there will be major diversions from mid March as statutory diversion works begin on Low Hill and Irvine Street.

The closure of West Derby Street has been brought forward to early May and the temporary signals are now being installed at the Crown Street/Brownlow Hill junction.

Further consultation will take place before the closure begins.

A59/Rice Lane
Work to improve road safety began on January 18th and will take 20 weeks to complete. All businesses remain open for the duration of the works.

While the works are on site, Rice Lane between Hornby Road and Cavendish Drive will be one way coming into the city centre only. Traffic travelling outbound follows a diversion route via Breeze Hill, Southport Road, onto Hornby Road and back onto Rice Lane. Traffic will still be able to access Cavendish Drive from the south but for access only.

Kerbing and footpath work is complete on the west side of Rice Lane from Queens Drive all along to Hornby Road.

Kerbing and footpath work is underway on the east side of Rice Lane from Queens Drive working towards Cavendish Drive and also from Hornby Road, citybound, to the Sefton Road junction.

The contractor anticipates starting the road resurfacing work in the section of Rice Lane between Queens Drive and Cavendish Drive.

The contractor is also working with utility companies to carry out maintenance work as the scheme progresses.

Liverpool Half Marathon
Sunday, 28th March - Waterfront and Sefton Park Areas

The race begins at 9.30am and will finish around 11.30am. The road closures will begin around 8am and will be lifted where possible as the race progresses.
The route is:

Queens Wharf, Wapping (junction with Queens Wharf to junction with Liver Street), Liver Street junction with Wapping to junction with Park Lane), Park Lane, St James Street, Great George Street (junction with St James Street to junction with Upper Parliament Street), Upper Parliament Street (junction with Great George Street to junction with Princes Road), Princes Road, Devonshire Road, Belvidere Road, Ullet Road (junction with Belvidere Road to junction with Sefton Park Road, Windermere Terrace, Princes Park circulatory road, Aigburth Drive (junction with Ullet Road to junction Croxteth Drive), Croxteth Drive, Greenbank Drive (junction with Croxteth Drive to junction with Mossley Hill Drive), into Sefton Park, Mossley Hill Drive (junction with Ibbotsons Lane to junction with Elmswood Road, Sefton Park inner pathways, Aigburth Drive (junction with Croxteth Drive to junction with Aigburth Road slip-road), Aigburth Road slip-road (junction with Aigburth Road to junction with Ashfield Road), Aigburth Road sub-way/underpass, Jericho Lane (junction with Aigburth Road to junction with Jericho Close), Otterspool Park inner pathways, Otterspool Promenade (from Mersey Road to Atlantic Way, Atlantic Way, Kings Parade.

Whilst the runners proceed from Queens Wharf into Liver Street, traffic will be temporarily held at Chaloner Street (northbound) / Queens Wharf junction and Strand Street (southbound) / Liver Street junction.

For more information on these and other highway schemes, please visit www.liverpool.gov.uk/highwayprojects

Hall Lane Strategic Gateway
Hall Lane Strategic Gateway, now under construction, will provide a much improved traffic route for vehicles entering Liverpool from the east and will take traffic out of the residential areas.

Work is now on site and on programme. The whole site has been fenced off and all tree clearance works are complete. Demolition work on properties fronting Mount Vernon began w/c February 8th and this is ongoing. There are some works on site to move services for Transco and the access road to the hospital staff car park has been widened to cater for two-way traffic.
There are no major works on the highway or traffic diversions at this time however there will be major diversions from mid March affecting the highway at Low Hill junction.

Temporary signals will be installed at the Crown Street/Brownlow Hill junction prior to the West Derby Street closure in mid-May. Further consultation will take place before the closure begins.

A59/Rice Lane
Work to improve road safety began on January 18th and will take 20 weeks to complete. All businesses remain open for the duration of the works.

While the works are on site, Rice Lane between Hornby Road and Cavendish Drive will be one way coming into the city centre only. Traffic travelling outbound follows a diversion route via Breeze Hill, Southport Road, onto Hornby Road and back onto Rice Lane. Traffic will still be able to access Cavendish Drive from the south but for access only.

Kerbing and footpath work is now complete on the west side of Rice Lane from Queens Drive all along to Hornby Road.

Kerbing and footpath work is now underway on the east side of Rice Lane from Queens Drive working towards Cavendish Drive.

The contractor is also working with utility companies to carry out maintenance work as the scheme progresses.

Dale Street area - United Utilities Work
United Utilities Essential Water Mains Refurbishment Works require the following closures from Monday, 15th February to Sunday, 7th March – the closures will run concurrently with one road closed at a time:

• Sweeting Street is closed to traffic from its junction with Dale Street to its junction with Castle Street;
• Then Princes Street will be closed to traffic from its junction with Victoria Street to its junction with Dale Street;
• Finally Temple Street will be closed to traffic from its junction with Victoria Street to its junction with Dale Street

There will be signed diversion routes in place and access to properties will be maintained when it is safe to do so.

Here’s the latest updates on some major roadworks taking place in the city.

Hall Lane Strategic Gateway
Hall Lane Strategic Gateway, now under construction, will provide a much improved traffic route for vehicles entering Liverpool from the east and will take traffic out of the residential areas.

Work is now on site and on programme. The whole site has been fenced off and all tree clearance works are complete. Properties fronting Mount Vernon will be demolished w/c February 8th after services are disconnected. There are some works on site to move services for Transco and the access road to the hospital staff car park has been widened to cater for two-way traffic.

There are no major works on the highway or traffic diversions at this time however there will be major diversions from mid March affecting the highway at Low Hill Junction.

Temporary signals will be installed at the Crown Street/Brownlow Hill junction prior to the West Derby Street closure in mid-May. Further consultation will take place before the closure begins.

A59/Rice Lane
Work to improve road safety began on January 18th and will take 20 weeks to complete. All businesses remain open for the duration of the works.

While the works are on site, Rice Lane between Hornby Road and Cavendish Drive will be one way coming into the city centre only. Traffic travelling outbound follows a diversion route via Breeze Hill, Southport Road, onto Hornby Road and back onto Rice Lane. Traffic will still be able to access Cavendish Drive from the south but for access only.

Kerbing and footpath works are underway on the west side of Rice Lane from the roundabout at Queens Drive to just past Walton Hospital. Work has also started on the on the west side at Hornby Road working in a southerly direction.

Over the past few weeks, major snowfall has disrupted many local businesses. Traffic chaos and temporary suspension of public transport have meant some workers have been unable to attend the workplace. With forecast of further snowfall, Mark McKeating of Hill Dickinson LLP considers whether local businesses are required to pay their staff for a “snow day”.

Does an employer have to pay employees who cannot attend work?

In broad terms, if the workplace is open, and unless it is expressly provided for in the contract of employment, then the answer is no.  Employees have a duty to attend the workplace unless they are sick, on annual leave or have some other authorised absence (e.g maternity leave).

Therefore, any employee who fails to turn up to work because of being “snowed in” is absent without authorisation. As an employer you have the legal right to deduct pay for the days the employee is off work.

However, a degree of caution should be exercised. The employer should consider whether it is in the best interests of their business not to pay employees. Deducting wages from employees “snowed in” could lead to a long term loss of morale amongst staff.

The employer should also have regard to the employee’s circumstances, for example, has the employee taken time off to look after their child following a school closure.  Penalising any employees in this predicament could potentially expose your business to a claim of discrimination. 

Can the employer offer any alternatives?

We recommend that the employer considers alternatives to accommodate the employee’s absence. Examples are: -

• Working from home.
• Propose that the employee takes the day off as holiday.
• Reach an understanding that the employee will make up the lost time in due course.
• Suggest to the employee that they take the time off as emergency dependant’s leave if schools close and they are required to look after their children.

“S-no-w excuse”?

If you have a reasonable belief that the employee is using the snowfall as a false excuse for their absence from the workplace, then it may be appropriate to consider disciplinary action. 

Minimising future disruption

In the short term, communicating to employees that any further time off due to “snow days” will be made up or taken as a holiday may act as a sufficient deterrent to those employees abusing the current position to their advantage.

In addition, employers should consider introducing an “adverse weather policy” or amending its current absence policies to cover “snow days”, so that their employees will know what is expected of them and the options they have if they are “snowed” in.

Should have any further questions on any of the above issues or other employment law queries you can contact Mark McKeating on 0151 600 8000 or mark.mckeating@hilldickinson.com

Are you a school, organisation or business in Merseyside that’s encouraging healthier, greener transport choices? As the search for this year’s transport ‘superstars’ begins, you could win an award for helping to achieve a more sustainable transport future for the region.

Organised by the Merseyside Transport Partnership, the annual Merseyside Transport Awards - now in their third year – have been created to celebrate the individuals, schools and businesses in Merseyside that are actively encouraging people to walk, cycle or use public transport and making it easier to choose healthy, convenient ways of getting around.

Entries are being sought for eight award categories – from the best school travel plan, to the top overall sustainable transport initiative. Nominees could include colleagues who have set up car sharing schemes, or schools where parents are making a conscious effort to switch to walking, cycling or public transport, instead of driving their children to school.

Last year’s winners included Liverpool PCT, the University of Liverpool and the Iliad Developments Group. The awards also recognised the huge contribution that schools are making to the future of sustainable transport – with St Christopher’s Primary School, St Margaret’s C of E High School, West Kirby Primary School and Dawpool C of E Primary School all picking up prizes.

Neil Scales, Chair of the Merseyside Transport Partnership, said: “The Merseyside Transport Awards highlight the fantastic work that is taking place across the city region to create a more sustainable transport network for the future.

“By encouraging people to change their travel habits and consider options such as using public transport, cycling or walking, these individuals and organisations are supporting the vision of an integrated transport network that is accessible to all and that helps create a better environment for everyone. The awards are now in their third year and we look forward to receiving this year’s entries.”

The award categories are:

• TravelWise Award 2009 – for the best overall sustainable transport initiative
• TravelWise School 2009 – for best school travel plan
• TravelWise Organisation 2009 – for best travel plan
• FreightWise Award 2009 – for the best freight initiative
• BikeWise Award 2009 – best cycling initiative or achievement
• WalkWise Award 2009 – best walking initiative or achievement
• Going the Extra Mile Award 2009 – for outstanding customer service by an operator
• TravelWise Development 2009 – for good transport design in a new building / scheme. 

The closing date for entries is 25 September. An entry form and details on how to enter can be found at www.LetsTravelWise.org or by calling 0151 330 1253.

Liverpool Chamber went along to the recent opening of Virgin’s new First Class Lounge up at Lime Street Station.

The Lounge was formally opened by Barry McGuire and Paul Cunningham, members of the Virgin Trains’ station team at Lime Street station.

The lounge, which has seating for over 50 customers provides a quiet and relaxing atmosphere for customers to wait for their train, or to catch up on work after arriving back from the City. Wireless internet (WiFi) is also being installed and will be available free of charge for users of the lounge. A self-service facility for hot and cold drinks and light snacks is also provided. The lounge offers full access for the mobility impaired. The lounge has been provided in partnership with Network Rail and Merseytravel.

Virgin Trains Station Manager Keith Millard said: “Since last December we have had a high quality train service, using state-of-the-art tilting Pendolino trains from Liverpool to London, and now we have a high quality station facility to complement the trains. We are confident that the improved facilities at the station will encourage more environmentally-conscious motorists to ditch the car and take the train.”

First Class customers using the Liverpool to London route are also able to take advantage of a completely refurbished lounge at Euston station, which opened at the end of April.

Jack Stopforth and Tony Collins

Liverpool Chamber’s CEO Jack Stopforth went along to the launch. He’s pictured here with Virgin Rail CEO Tony Collins.

Of the opening, Jack said “It is vital that Liverpool maintains and continues to improve upon its links with capital. Liverpool Chamber is pleased to see this new lounge opening at Lime street, a sign of Virgin Rail’s committment to helping Liverpool and London do business.”

You can keep up to date with what Virgin Trains are up to on the Liverpool - London route, and give them your feedback and suggestions by following Richard Baker, the line’s general manager on Twitter.