Major funding boost for highways in Liverpool
NEW funding of £85 million is set to be
spent on major roads and transport schemes in Liverpool over the next 4 years.
A report to the City Council's Cabinet on Friday, 20 March 2015, outlines plans for:-
► A new City Centre 'connectivity' scheme including new and improved
signage and lighting, dedicated coach parking, more priority for pedestrians and
cyclists and a review of bus routes to reduce delays (to be delivered from
2017 to 2019)
► Making the Strand more pedestrian friendly to make it easier for residents and
visitors to access the waterfront by improving crossings and routes for cycles
and people on foot (to be delivered in 2018 to 2019)
► Completing the upgrade of the A565 north Liverpool corridor to improve the
flow of traffic and make Regent Road more pedestrian and cycle friendly (to be
delivered from 2016 to 2019)
► Improving the pedestrian routes in and around Lime Street (Parker
Street/Elliot Street) including links to the St John's and Clayton Square
shopping centres which are currently undergoing major refurbishments (to be
delivered from 2015 to 2017)
► Upgrading the Tunnel Road/Earle Road junction in the Baltic Triangle so there
are pedestrian crossings for each route and upgrading the pedestrian crossing on
Tunnel Road so it can accommodate cyclists (to be delivered in 2015 to 2016)
► Installing a pedestrian and cycle crossing and shared cycle/footway to connect
Everton Park to Prince Edwin Street as part of Project Jennifer as well as
east-west cycle links and crossings on Great Homer Street and Scotland Road (to
be delivered in 2015 to 2016)
► Upgrading crossings and installing bus priority measures on the A57 around the
Knowledge Quarter as well as road resurfacing and public transport
infrastructure improvements (to be delivered from 2015 to 2017)
► A bid for funding to replace the bridge on the A565 at Great Howard Street to
enable it can operate without a weight limit and new lighting and drainage on
the A59 linking the City with the M57 and M58 (to be delivered from 2015-2018)
This funding is separate and in addition to the £80 million of the Council's own
money being spent over the next 8 years, tackling the historic backlog of
highways repairs in the City. Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet member for regeneration, said:-
"We are a growing City which is absolutely fantastic, but that means 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. Our
proposals are aimed at improving those key routes and areas which are busiest so
that we can keep Liverpool moving and compete with other Cities. We are also to
balance the competing needs of pedestrians, cyclists and traffic, for example by
installing better pedestrian crossings, including some where both cyclists and
people on foot can cross safely."
In addition, the Commercial District (BID) and the City Council will spend a
total of £1.4 million resurfacing and improving footpaths and street furniture
on Old Hall Street, Bixteth Street, Edmund Street, North John Street, Eberle
Street and Leather Lane over the next 12 months, with £500k of improvements to
Water Street taking place the following year.
Jim Gill, Chairman of Liverpool's Commercial District BID, which represents more
than 900 businesses, said:- "This multi-million investment in the public
realm of the Commercial District has been a major priority for the BID Company
and we welcome the City Council's support in this programme. We look
forward to seeing the results and building on these improvements to further
enhance the appeal of the Commercial District as the place to do business in
Liverpool."
Money for the projects is coming from the Growth Deal (£51 million); the
Highways Challenge Fund (£16 million) and the STEP fund (£4.2 million),
supplemented by £12 million of local authority cash and £900k from the
Commercial District BID.
The Cabinet will be asked to accept the funding at its meeting.
