City's historic "Dock Road" gets set for pedal power!

A major ₤52m roadworks scheme to better connect the North of Liverpool to the City Centre has entered a new phase. Contractors for Liverpool City Council have now completed works widening a major junction between Leeds Street and Great Howard Street (A565) and have moved on to begin a radical overhaul of the City's historic Regent Road (also known as the Dock Road) to be more pedestrian and cycle friendly.

The 1st element of the Regent Road project involves the laying of new pavements and road resurfacing with the creation of new footpaths to begin in February, followed by a purpose built cycle lane, which will open up a new 13 mile riverside route from Formby, in Sefton, to the City Centre for the 1st time. A 7 mile Southern Cycle Lane will then connect to Otterspool when the proposed upgrade to The Strand is completed.

Preliminary ground works have begun to address culverts and drainage with the 1st Phase, starting at the City Centre heading North to the Grade II listed Bascule Bridge, at Stanley Dock in the City's World Heritage Site, expected to be completed in Summer 2018. The 2nd Phase, which goes North of the 86 year old bridge is scheduled to complete the following summer.

The improvements are seen as crucial for the wider regeneration of the area as Regent Road borders both Peel's ₤5.5bn Liverpool Waters Scheme, which includes:- the new ₤400m Liverpool 2 Superport, and the 10 Streets Creativity District, as well as leading to Bramley Moore Dock; the location for Everton FC's proposed new football stadium.

Meanwhile contractors, Geoffrey Osborne Ltd, are continuing to convert the A565 into a new dual carriageway, which is part funded by the Liverpool City Region Growth Deal.

Other phases of the 2.7km long dualling project, which also will require lane restrictions, include:-

► Phase 1:- Leeds Street to Blackstone Street – Road widening phase (completed by Winter 2018)

► Phase 2:- Bankhall Street to Millers Bridge – Road widening phase (completed by Summer 2019)

► Phase 3:- Boundary Street to Bankhall Street - Upgrade of Traffic Signalised junctions and Street lighting with associated resurfacing (starting spring 2018)

Expected to finish by Summer 2019, the ₤22m upgrade to North Liverpool's Atlantic Corridors are a major part of Liverpool City Council's wider ₤300m Better Roads programme to improve the City's road infrastructure.

The scheme will be complemented by the creation of a further 2 new waterfront link roads, at the cost of ₤20m, at the City Centre end of the A565, which are being built to support a proposed new ₤50m cruise passenger facility and new ₤30m Isle Of Man Cruise terminal.

The 1st phase of the A565 upgrade was completed by Graham Construction in September 2017 after a year long road closure enabled the ₤10m replacement of the Great Howard Street bridge, so it could handle more freight tonnage for the Liverpool2 deep water container terminal.

Councillor Ann O'Byrne, Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, said:- "Upgrading our highways infrastructure is fundamental to building a better Liverpool; 1 that is match fit for the 21st Century. This scheme is about future proofing the City's growth in North Liverpool and is the golden thread to underpinning the success of major regeneration projects such as Liverpool Waters, the new Cruise Terminals, the 10 Streets District and the potential new home for Everton Football Club which will all help redefine our economy over the coming decades. Despite Government cuts the City Council has never been more committed to growing our economy and these highways schemes are another example of how Liverpool's potential is being unlocked; with an unprecedented ₤14bn of investment either on site or in the pipeline. Of course for commuters highways works means temporary disruption, but by investing ₤52m in these schemes; with a further ₤130m of works to begin across the City this year; we will provide long term benefits for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians; which will help the City attract and accommodate new businesses, more tourists and create new jobs. Quite simply, better roads means a better City to live, work, visit and play in."