Plans to revitalise a major road have received a multi-million pound boost.

Work to improve Clarendon Road in Watford, which connects the High Street and Watford Junction, and provide the “best possible first impression of the town” to visitors is soon to get underway, and the scheme has received a near £5m cash boost.

The £9.82m Clarendon Road transformation programme which will run from 2019 to 2025 aims to create an attractive and greener street to attract businesses and visitors to the town.

Planned improvements include the removal of an underused subway at Beechen Grove and replacing it with a pedestrian crossing at road level. There are also plans to create new traffic signals and resurface the road.

New waste bins, signage, and landscaping are also among the plans.

Hertfordshire LEP has invested £4.8m alongside the £5m that has already been set aside by Watford Borough Council, Hertfordshire County Council, and Section 106 monies from developers, with support too from Watford BID.

The Clarendon Road project is part of a major regeneration of the area.

There are plans to transform Watford Junction with a new passenger bridge, homes, the possibility of a bus station, shops, offices, and public spaces.

Nearby St Albans Road is also set for a major transformation. Watford Borough Council has publically backed plans for around 3,000 homes behind Watford Junction including a proposal to convert The Range and TK Maxx and car park into 1,200 homes.

Watford High Street has undergone a £2m improvement scheme while the intu extension was also completed earlier this year.

Elected Mayor of Watford Peter Taylor said “Clarendon Road is one of the town’s most important hubs for business and visitors. With national and international businesses basing their HQs there, it is important we ensure that our town’s infrastructure matches the ambitions they have for their business.

"We know that over 9 million people travel through Watford Junction each year and Clarendon Road is one of the first impressions they get of the town. That’s why it is so important to create a really appealing area and a better link from the station to the town centre.”