WORK is to start in July on a £10 million scheme to replace a damaged bridge on a major route in and out of Liverpool and Sefton.

It is the first stage of a £32 million project on the A565 Great Howard Street linking the city centre with Sefton, and which is a vital route for freight to and from the new Liverpool 2 deep water port.

The bridge project will start on Monday, July 4 and will mean the closure of part of the road in both directions between Chadwick Street and the MINI garage for around seven months. Two official diversion routes will be in force:

For all traffic (including HGVs): via Sandhills Road, Commercial Road, Vauxhall Road and Leeds Street

For non-HGVs only: via Dublin Street, Regent Road, Waterloo Road and Paisley Street

The work has been carefully timed so that it does not clash with any other planned roadworks in the area, to make sure there is no additional disruption for motorists.

The scheme is being promoted by Liverpool City Council, in conjunction with its partners Sefton Council.

Cllr John Fairclough, Sefton Council’s cabinet member locality services, said: “This is just the start of a very exciting project which will enhance the main route into Liverpool from south Sefton.

“This stretch of road is extremely busy and by making it all dual carriageway, it will enable greater access in and out of Sefton for all vehicles.

“Discussions are underway with the landowners in Sefton and throughout the whole process we will be working closely with Liverpool City Council to make this project a big success.”

Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Liverpool City’s Cabinet member for regeneration, said: “This scheme is absolutely essential if we are to keep the city moving and make it an attractive place to come and do business.

“We need to invest in our infrastructure so we are able to handle the increasing amount of businesses, freight and people travelling to and through Liverpool.

“This is especially important on this route due to the completion of the new Liverpool 2 deep water port which is absolutely critical to the future economic success of the city region and will help create and support many jobs.”

Further phases of the scheme between 2017 and 2019 will require lane restrictions rather than a road closure, and will see:

The completion of dual carriageway on the A565 on Great Howard Street/Derby Road between King Edward Street and Blackstone Street and Bankhall Street to Millers Bridge
Improvements to Regent Road to make it more pedestrian and cycle friendly
The roadworks will be structured to minimise the impact on remaining businesses and enable them to continue to trade while the improvements are being carried out. Letters are being sent to local residents and businesses to inform about the start date.

Councillor Kennedy added: “The work will remove a bottle neck on the A565 by making it dual carriageway along the entire route and also make it more attractive with improved paving and street lighting.

“This is just one element of the work which will be going on right across the city over the next few years to fix the road network and deal with decades of underinvestment.”

Funding for the project is coming from:

Department for Transport: £21.8 million - of which £13.3 million is from the Liverpool City Region Growth Deal secured by the Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP)
Liverpool City Council: £8.5 million
Sefton Council: £2 million