Major road closure for flyover removal scheme

A major road in Liverpool City Centre is closing again as work continues on the removal of the footbridges under the flawed Churchill Way flyovers. The closure of Hunter Street stared on Friday, 13 September and will last until 6am, on Monday, 16 September 2019.  If you are heading in to Liverpool you should remember that this work will have a considerable impact on traffic arriving into Liverpool from the M62 and from the north of the City via Scotland Road (A59).

Also both Mersey Tunnels will be open to traffic in either direction, but the closure will restrict access to the Birkenhead (Queensway) Tunnel for traffic coming from the M62/Islington direction. Road diversions will be in place around the City Centre, but the public are once again being advised to use public transport instead, unless absolutely necessary.

Merseytravel are advising that these diversions, as well as congestion, engineering works on the Merseyrail network and minor changes to some bus routes could cause delays. People travelling into and out of the City Centre are advised to leave extra time for their journeys. Merseytravel have provided updated information which can be viewed online.

Contractors for Liverpool City Council are currently on site dismantling the 3 footbridges that sit underneath the structurally flawed flyovers as part of Phase 1 of the 4 month long deconstruction programme.

Unlike the 2 flyovers, the footbridges are being taken down using a traditional demolition process which will create noise and dust. Water cannons will be used to dampen down the dust, but prevailing winds such as those we have experienced recently can make the dust travel in unexpected directions. For people living in properties nearby they are advised to keep their windows closed over the weekend.

The removal of the footbridges, which were used to access Liverpool John Moores University's Byrom Street campus, will be completed on Wednesday, 18 September 2019.

Pedestrians needing to get to the LJMU campus can go via Dale Street and Hatton Garden to Great Crosshall Street or via William Brown Street, Islington and Hunter Street (when not fully closed).

Flyover Deconstruction - The Process:-

► Once the footbridges are removed, the focus of the engineering task will swing to the removal of the 50 year old flyovers; each of which are more than 240m in length.

► This 2nd phase, which begins on Tuesday, 17 September, will involve heavy machinery removing individual spans in a pre-determined sequence.

► Each span; weighing up to 600 tonnes (more than a Boeing 747) will be temporarily supported, before being cut free and moved on to a special transporter to a nearby compound, where it will be lowered to ground level, cut into smaller sections and removed off site to be crushed. A total of 20 spans and supporting piers will be removed.

► The innovative methodology, devised collaboratively between Amey Consulting, GRAHAM and their specialist contractors, means the deconstruction can take place without having to implement a full programme road closure on 2 major arterial roads servicing Liverpool City Centre and the Queensway Tunnel.

► The compound at Fontenoy Street, which will see the sections cut into smaller pieces, has required tree removal, but the City Council has plans to double tree numbers as part of a new post flyover master plan for the area.

► The phased dismantling of the 2 flyovers - which connect Lime Street to Dale Street and Tithebarn Street; has also been devised to minimise vibrations to protect antique art and cultural collections, as well as wildlife housed at the:- Walker Art Gallery, Central Library and World Museum Liverpool; all of which sit next to the south flyover.

► Liverpool City Council has approved this hyper sensitive approach, at a cost of ₤6.75m, after the 2 lane highways were closed, at the end of September 2018, following the discovery of construction flaws.

► Once the deconstruction is completed in December, alterations will be made to the highway layout around the Hunter Street; Byrom Street; Queensway Tunnel entrance, to improve traffic and pedestrian movements.

Motorists and more information:-

►  Byrom Street (and therefore the Birkenhead Tunnel to Liverpool bound traffic) on 20 September to 23 September and over 4 October to 7 October 2019.

►  Fontenoy Street; remains closed until 15 November 2019.

►  The closure of Dale Street from Byrom Street to Crosshall Street will be required from 4 October to  14 October 2019.

Surrounding car parks at:- Fontenoy Street, Dale Street, Primrose Hill and Hunter Street have all closed and will re-open as phases complete from mid November to late December. If car journeys are necessary, motorists are being redirected to nearby car parks at:- Victoria Street, Mount Pleasant, Queen Square and St Johns Shopping Centre.  For more flyover information including all road closures and diversions go to:- Liverpool.Gov.UK.

Jane encourages others to walk with her to support people affected by cancer

MAGGIE'S, the charity which provides free practical and emotional support for people living with cancer, hosts its Liverpool Culture Crawl for the 4th year running and is calling on you sign up and take part on Friday, 27 September 2019. Jane Dabner from Bebington, who took part in the 2018 Maggie's Culture Crawl, Liverpool, are now encouraging everyone across Merseyside to walk together for an evening of fun, food and culture, all to help people living with cancer. The fundraising event is a part evening time walk, part cultural adventure around Liverpool. All funds raised help Maggie's Merseyside provide free practical and emotional support for people living with cancer.  The event gives participants a chance to see the City of Liverpool in a new light as they walk 10km and get exclusive night time access to some of the City's cultural icons. The crawl this year will set off on the Mersey Ferry and visit venues such as the Metropolitan Cathedral, The World Museum, The Western Approaches, and the Botanical Gardens. At each venue walkers will be treated to food, drink and will be entertained by the Cities finest performance acts.  As the number of people living with cancer increases it is essential that they are able to find the practical and emotional support they need to cope with the changes that life after cancer brings. Maggie's Merseyside offers a way of living well with cancer. This includes ensuring that people with cancer in the Region are really listened to, that they are offered tailored individual support, group support and practical advice, all delivered by qualified professionals within a space that enables them to meet other people who understand what it means to be living with cancer too.

Jane says:- "The best way to describe being told you've got cancer is that somebody kidnaps you, takes you away and drops you in another country. You've got no map, you don't know the language and somehow you've got try find your way home. Maggie's helps you do that. Maggie's Merseyside had just opened as I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014. I found myself unceremoniously catapulted into a world that was terrifying and alien to me. Thank goodness Maggie's were there to help me navigate my way through. As soon as I could I started fundraising for Maggie's as I wanted others to be able to experience the tremendous support that they provide. This year my cancer returned and developed in to Metastatic breast cancer, Maggie's have been there again for me whilst I've undergone palliative chemotherapy to slow down the cancer.  1 of the most enjoyable ways I have raised funds was to be part of a team of fabulous friends who took part in the amazing Culture Crawl in 2018. So much so, that despite receiving the devastating news that my Secondary cancer has yet again spread and that we are reaching the end of the line with treatments. I will be using all my available energy to take part again this year and raising as much money as possible."

You can join Jane via registering online for ₤20, at:- MaggiesCentres.Org participants are asked to raise as much as they are able to. A fundraising pack full of ideas to help with fundraising will be available from Maggie's Merseyside or online.

Kathy Wright, Centre Head at Maggie's Merseyside says:- "The Liverpool Culture Crawl is an opportunity for people to come together and walk for their own reasons. Whether it is in memory of a loved one, to celebrate the end of treatment or to support their family and friends. Every year the event gets bigger and better and all the funds raised are to support local people living with cancer. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has signed up to take part and we'd love to see more people join us.''

For more information about Maggie's Culture Crawl Liverpool contact contact the team on:- 01513344301 or send them an email.

Did you know? Maggie's Merseyside is built within the grounds of he Clatterbridge Health Park and it's a warm and welcoming place, with qualified professionals on hand to offer an evidence based core programme of support that has been shown to improve physical and emotional wellbeing.  Maggie's Merseyside relies on voluntary donations to support and grow its high quality programme of support. The charity's aim is to make the biggest difference possible to people living with cancer and their family and friends.

Austin Rawlinson Lifestyles to reopen following urgent works

THE sports hall and gym will open its doors on Monday, 16 September 2019, and the swimming pool will be available to customers, from Tuesday, 17 September 2019. It follows a 3 month renewal programme after surveys identified issues with:-

► Electric distribution boards and main board.

► Emergency lighting.

► Ventilation systems.

► Pool pumps.

► Boiler systems.

► Water heaters.

Due to the age of the building, the work also included the safe removal of asbestos, which was contained inside areas such as the ceilings and light fittings. Lifestyles members who use the centre have received a 3 month freeze on their fees.

Deputy Mayor of Liverpool, Councillor Wendy Simon, said:- "The contractors we are using have completed the essential work at Austin Rawlinson Lifestyles ahead of schedule, although there will be further remedial works taking place when the building has reopened. I would like to take the opportunity to thank centre users for their patience and understanding as I know it is a much loved facility that is popular with the local community. We are now moving on to carry out essential refurbishment work replacing the filters in the swimming pool at Park Road Lifestyles, which means the pool will be shut for around a month. We will keep people informed of progress on the pools at Park Road and the Aquatics Centre, and if there is any change or delay we will let them know."

Meanwhile, work is getting under way on a ₤60,000 scheme to replace filters in the swimming pool at Park Road Lifestyles in Toxteth, which means it will be closed from Thursday, 12 September 2019, for up to a month. Customers are advised to use the pool, at Garston Lifestyles instead. Work continues refurbishing the 50 metre pool ,at the Aquatics Centre, Wavertree, where ₤350,000 is being invested replacing pool tiles and fitting new lighting. Customers are able to use the 20 metre pool instead.  More information is available at:- Liverpool.Gov.UK.