A delayed major project to revamp a main road through Hinckley could be pushed back again.
The £5 million scheme to reconfigure two key junctions on Rugby Road was rearranged to start in summer 2020.
But now the coronavirus outbreak could further stall the works.
A spokesperson for Leicestershire County Council said: “In light of Government guidance on social distancing and to reduce the risk of spreading Covid-19, we are currently reviewing when we will be able to deliver the Rugby Road/Hawley Road improvement scheme.”
The project includes upgrades at the busy junctions with Hawley Road in Hinckley and with Brookside in Burbage, and was originally set to begin in May 2019 and finish in summer 2019.
A left turn lane onto the road will be added from Hawley Road, meaning additional land is needed from the corner of the junction.
A new lane is also to be built at the Brookside junction, with a second lane to be built southbound immediately after where it meets Brookside which will eventually merge with the other lane.
Changes to the scheme were approved in March this year, including retaining a line of trees that run parallel to the southbound road immediately after the Brookside junction.
The trees were originally to be removed to create the new lane.
However, the second version of the plans includes removing a footpath on that section, and there are concerns that as the road goes up a steep hill, cyclists could find the incline too hard to pedal up and then have nowhere to dismount.
Councillor Paul Williams, who represents Sketchley and Stretton on Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council, said previously: “I consider that the elimination of the footpath of the southbound carriageway up Sketchley Hill will make cycling up the hill dangerous, as the hill is difficult for all but the fittest cyclist.”
Coun Williams also said he is “sceptical” of the benefits of providing the new lane.
An uncontrolled pedestrian crossing is also to be installed after where the two lanes merge, as part of the second draft of the plans.
In other comments sent to the county council Cabinet, Stuart Bray, leader of the borough council, said that residents regularly complain about queues at the Hawley Road junction and that some feel it worked better when it was a roundabout.
He asked for confirmation that officers had explored this as an option.
A new residents parking zone and a review of town centre parking facilities is also set to take place as part of the major scheme.
Coun Bray said he was delighted that changes to parking were to be considered, as this has been the single biggest complaint he has received as a representative.
He said: “Residents parking is controversial and therefore it is vital that a full public consultation be undertaken prior to implementation. I note that it is being proposed that Thornfield Way be excluded from the scheme.
“I would ask that should the remaining scheme be implemented that this be kept under review as residents may feel differently when the impact of cars being displaced from surrounding streets is known.”
Improvements to cycling and pedestrian routes are also to take place as part of the scheme, in the Granville Road, Spa Lane, London Road and Coventry Road areas.
Funding for the package of improvements will include £3.5 million from the Government’s National Productivity Investment Fund and £1.5 million provided by Leicestershire County Council.
Councillor Blake Pain, cabinet member for environment and transport on the county council, said previously: “Rugby Road is a key route in Hinckley and it’s important we continue to invest in our transport network as the borough grows, with new homes, jobs and communities.”
A retail park with seven units including a Co-op store and a Greggs opened last year on Rugby Road, between the Hawley Road and Brookside junctions.
The first houses have also started being built in an estate of 40 homes under construction on an area of brownfield land, off Rugby Road in the same area.
