Huge investment planned for St Helens Borough highway improvements
Proposals that will see more than £17 million ploughed into road improvements, one of St Helens Borough Council's largest investments in roads in a single year, have been given the green light by councillors.
Article date: 25 February 2026
The council's Cabinet today (Wednesday 25 February) approved the Highways Capital and Revenue Programme for 2026/27, which takes in funding to support a wide range of programmes and includes highways maintenance, active travel, drainage and flood mitigation, bridges and structures, street lighting, and strategic project development.
The investment includes £7.02m from the Liverpool City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS) to fund resurfacing, preventative maintenance, traffic signal and street lighting upgrades, and active travel improvements.
As part of this allocation, contracts worth approximately £1.2m will be awarded to deliver a package of 17 key carriageway resurfacing schemes across all wards in the borough, delivering 4 miles of road resurfacing.
These schemes form a central part of the council's evidence led asset management approach to maintaining road quality.
Meanwhile the council will invest £1.53m of capital into two strategic priorities: essential strengthening and safety works at Taylor Park Dam, and Town Centre Traffic Management Improvements to enhance safety and accessibility in high footfall areas. A further £4.909m of council revenue will support routine and reactive maintenance, winter service, street lighting and drainage operations.
The council has also secured £0.9 million from the Department for Transport's Consolidated Active Travel Fund to deliver major improvements along Sherdley Road. Improvements here will address a critical missing link in the recently delivered active travel network and enable safer, more accessible walking and cycling connections between key residential, leisure and retail destinations.
And a further £0.774 million of development funding from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority will advance three major long-term transport projects: the Sutton Oak Link, St Helens Town Centre Phase 2, and the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) programme.
The highways programme also includes an estimated £1.285 million allocation of DfT Local Highways Maintenance Incentive Funding, which will continue St Helens' preventative surface dressing programme - prolonging road life and reducing long-term maintenance costs.
A clear commitment to social value underlines annual programme, with contractors required to support local supply chains, skills development, apprenticeships and environmental sustainability, ensuring that investment benefits local people as well as local infrastructure.
Councillor Kate Groucutt, Deputy Council Leader and Cabinet Member for Business and Inclusive Growth, said: "This record investment builds on the many schemes successfully delivered between 2022 and 2026, which have improved our travel network for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists alike. This strong delivery record demonstrates the council's ongoing commitment to modernising and maintaining a safe, efficient and resilient transport network for residents, businesses and visitors."
Between 2022 and 2026, the council:
- Completed 233 carriageway resurfacing schemes equivalent to 34 miles of road resurfacing across 274 streets,
- Made 13,000 repairs to carriageways and footways,
- Replaced 600 lighting columns,
- Upgraded 1,200 lanterns incorporated in a new central management system allowing real time monitoring and control,
- Enhanced and improved 19 traffic signalised junctions, replacing outdated halogen technology to modern, energy-efficient LED signals,
- Improved 38 bridges and structures,
- Delivered 3 miles of new cycleways,
- And made significant progress in reducing flooding hotspots and improving network resilience while future-proofing critical transport infrastructure.
Councillor Groucutt added: "This investment will help us to meet our duties to improve the condition and sustainability of the road network and support economic growth. It ensures St Helens Borough continues to adopt evidence led asset management practices, aligns with our borough strategy and supports wider objectives relating to safety, regeneration, public health and climate resilience."
The strategy can be viewed among other related Cabinet reports online, where residents can also view the recorded webcast. Agenda for Cabinet on Wednesday, 25th February, 2026, 4.00 pm St Helens Borough Council