WORK on the £4.8m link road scheme to speed traffic in and out of Blackburn has had to be rescheduled because of a hitch in buying a key parcel of land.

Already preparatory excavations are under way and and a section of the highway from Accrington Road to Burnley Road has been cleared for full-scale construction work.

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However, negotiations on land from a private owner for the segment of carriageway between Gorse Street and Burnley Close near the proposed roundabout between the B and E Boys building and Kenyons Haulage have stalled.

Blackburn with Darwen Council Planning and Highways Committee last week agreed to change the timetable for further negotiation, moving that section to the end of the building programme.

Borough regeneration boss Maureen Bateson said despite this the Furthergate Link Road, part of the £40 million Pennine Reach Scheme, remains on track for completion in early 2016.

Meanwhile main works on £1.5 million major improvements in the Haslingden Road/Guide area of Blackburn are under way.

The widening of the road between the Guide Roundabout and the M65 junction five to provide two lanes in both directions and signalisation of junction five are due to be completed in March.

The planning committee approved the timetable changes to the Furthergate scheme because of the protracted negotiations.

In January, temporary traffic lights will be installed to widen 700 metres of carriageway for a new bus lane along Accrington Road at Copy Nook. The scheme will create a 1.1km-link road between Furthergate and the Red Lion Roundabout for the M65 Whitebirk junction six, parallel to Burnley Road. Pennine Reach will speed bus journeys between Hyndburn, Blackburn and Darwen.

“The demolition of B and E Boys will begin shortly to make way for the new link road.

“The council is actively working the landowner to acquire the small section of land to deliver the entire “Burnley Road to Red Lion Roundabout Link Road” in one phase.

“ The decision to deliver both ends of the project simultaneously will shorten the construction timescale for this element of Pennine Reach, upgrade the Accrington Road / Burnley Road junction and open up land between Burnley Road and the Canal for future regeneration.

Utilities companies are currently on site on Haslingden Road at Guide and off peak lane closures are in place to allow night working.