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₤300 million road projects
to improve journeys in Merseyside and Cheshire
2 major new road schemes worth more
than ₤300 million are set to cut congestion and improve journey times for
hundreds of thousands of drivers, within Merseyside and Cheshire.
Highways England has set out its preferred options for upgrading the key route
to the Port of Liverpool and creating a new Junction, on the M56, near Runcorn
following public consultations early in 2017.
A new 3 mile dual carriageway between the motorway network and the Port will
take freight away from residential areas on the A5036, which has been identified
as being the 10th most congested road in England.
The bypass will serve the existing port as well as the new ₤300 million deep
water container terminal, which is expected to triple the port's volume of goods
by 2030.
The new Junction 11a, on the M56, will also play a vital role in supporting the
region's economy by providing a new link to the Mersey Gateway bridge between
Runcorn and Widnes, and improving local access to the motorway.
Tim Gamon, Highways England's regional delivery director for the North West,
said:- "Both these major road schemes will help to bring significant
economic benefits to the North West and we're now at the stage where we can set
out our preferred options for the projects. The new bypass will take the
existing traffic away from the A5036 as well as managing the significant
increase in vehicle numbers that are anticipated with the port's growth. We're
also committed to making improvements to the existing A5036 as part of the
scheme that will benefit people who live and work in the area. The new junction
on the M56 will also benefit local residents by taking traffic away from
residential areas as well as providing a new route to the Mersey Gateway bridge;
an important new link between Cheshire and Merseyside."
The new ₤250 million dual carriageway bypass
through the Rimrose Valley will connect Princess Way to Broom's Cross Road.
A new roundabout, controlled by traffic lights, will also be built at the
junction connecting Broom's Cross Road, Brickwall Lane and the new bypass. And
Broom's Cross Road will be upgraded to a dual carriageway from the new
roundabout to Switch Island, where the A5036 connects with the M57 and M58.
The new ₤60 million M56 junction will be built between junctions 11 and 12, and
will provide a more direct route to the M56 from South Runcorn as well as
connecting to the Mersey Gateway Bridge.
The junction will link to a new crossroads for the A533 Southern Expressway and
Murdishaw Avenue, North of the motorway. The crossroads will replace the
existing roundabout and be controlled by traffic lights, which will use sensors
in the road to respond to changes in traffic levels.
Detailed designs for both major road projects will now be developed, with
construction work due to start by spring 2020.
Funding for the schemes is being provided as part of the government's ₤15
billion Road Investment Strategy (RIS), and will help boost the Northern
Powerhouse by improving transport connectivity and reliability to help the
economy of the North.
More details on the projects are available for the:-
A5036 and
M56 projects.
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