COUNCIL chiefs hope the main holiday route into Blackpool will be open before the summer deluge of visitors - but Seasiders Way remains closed for what promises to be a busy Bank Holiday weekend.

Work on the £13.5 million scheme Central Gateway scheme was due to be sufficiently advanced by now for the road to open before what is anticipated to be a busy weekend.

But 'unexpected problems' have been blamed for further delays which have also forced a redesign of the new Seasiders Way/Bloomfield Road junction.

Plans first used to deal with the Mayday and Easter holidays are now being pressed into action - hopefully, council bosses say, for the final time.

Head of Blackpool Council's technical services, John Shaw, said: "This operation is necessary because of the temporary closure of Seasiders Way as part of the Central Gateway Project.

"We had hoped to have the realigned road open in time for the Spring Bank Holiday and contractors have been working flat out to try and achieve this deadline.

"However, poor ground conditions have made the construction of the new road junction, linking Seasiders Way to Bloomfield Road, far more difficult than anticipated. Certain aspects of the design have had to be changed as a result of difficult conditions that were impossible to predict.

"We apologise for the disruption caused, which we have tried to keep to a minimum."

Traffic diversion signs will be in place while extra staff will be on hand to direct tourists to alternative routes and car parking facilities.

As well as creating a new junction to replace the now-demolished Bloomfield Road bridge, the development will also see the creation of a new park, 650 more car parking spaces, a multi-purpose sports pitch and two 20 metre climbing towers, which are already beginning to take shape.