Road and lane closures are set to disrupt drivers in Islington this January, with some streets closed for up to 11 days during maintenance and improvement works.

By Josef Steen, Local Democracy Reporter

Aerial view of a city street with red buses, cars, cyclists, and pedestrians, surrounded by trees and buildings. — Some lanes on Essex Road will be closed temporarily during the latter half of January. Credit: Islington Council

Road and lane closures are set to disrupt drivers in Islington this January, with some streets closed for up to 11 days during maintenance and improvement works.

Gas works are already under way at Offord Road and Liverpool Road near Highbury Corner, meaning the former will be closed until Wednesday, January 7. The latter road will remain open but with temporary traffic controls in place until Thursday, January 8.

Stavordale Road will also be closed from Monday, January 5 until Friday, January 9 for water works. Similar maintenance is pencilled in for January 13 at Whistler Street, which will be closed to drivers from 8am until 6pm that day.

Towards the City of London, Berry Street has been closed from Monday, January 5 until Thursday, January 8 at 11.59pm while fibre broadband works take place.

In Clerkenwell, Thames Water is carrying out utility works from Monday, January 5 on Amwell Street and River Street, and these will run until Thursday, January 15 at 11.59pm. Roads will stay open but traffic controls have been installed, with Amwell Street likely to see delays.

Thames Water also has overnight works scheduled at Isledon Road twice this month, starting from January 11, from 10pm to 5am the next day. These will then resume on January 28 at 11.59pm and last until 3am on Thursday, January 29. Both will result in lanes being closed, raising the likelihood of delays.

Caedmon Road will also be closed between Monday, January 12 and Friday, January 16 for water works, with drivers warned this will probably cause delays.

In the borough’s north, similar works are due at the Stroud Green Road entrance to Finsbury Park on Thursday, January 29. Delays are likely, but the overnight works will begin at 11.59pm that night and are expected to finish at 5am on Friday, January 30.

Nearby Berriman Road will also have lanes closed from Monday, January 5 until 12.10pm on Friday, January 9. Meanwhile, traffic controls already installed on Marriott Road will last until Friday, January 9 at 11.59pm.

Lanes on Sussex Way will close the following week, from Monday, January 12 until Friday, January 23. This is due to Thames Water utility works.

Main roads closed

One of the borough’s key thoroughfares, Essex Road, will see partial closures on January 21 from 9.30am to 1pm that day. Traffic controls are also set to be installed later in the month, on January 29 from 9pm until 2am the next morning, due to water works.

Lanes on Upper Street extending to Islington High Street will be closed for Transport for London (TfL) roadworks from Sunday, January 4 until Tuesday, January 6 at 3.30am. Thames Water is also set to begin additional work at Islington High Street between Thursday, January 8 and Wednesday, January 14.

Drivers will face the overnight closure of City Road from Tuesday, January 13 at 9pm to 5am the next day. Telecoms installations have the potential to cause delays at Lever Street from 8am on January 10 until noon on Sunday, January 11, when the same road will then be closed for water works.

Nearer to Smithfield, the closure of Cowcross Street and St John Street will remain in place until February 27 and March 3 respectively, as Islington Council presses on with its revamp of the area into a “greener, healthier and more welcoming” public space.

Also towards the City, Chiswell Street will be closed on January 17 for gas works, which the council says is likely to cause delays. The council said it expects all works requiring temporary traffic management and pedestrian diversions will be complete by the end of February, but that this may be subject to change.