A £10 million scheme to replace a damaged bridge on a major route in and out of Liverpool city centre moves into a new phase next week.

The weak bridge currently transports traffic over a disused railway line to north Liverpool dock,s and the works are seen as key to the new Liverpool 2 deep water scheme.

Work has already begun and the road – the A565 (Great Howard Street) – will be closed from 5am on Tuesday 30th August by contractors GRAHAM Construction.

The route will be closed in both directions between Chadwick Street and the MINI garage so the damaged bridge can be removed and replaced, with work expected to go on into 2017.

It is a complex scheme that involves diverting existing utilities, demolishing the old structure, rebuilding a new one and at the same time working to keep all power lines operational.

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 works have been timed so they do not clash with any other planned roadworks in the area, to make sure there is no additional disruption for motorists.

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

Over the next few years it is estimated that around £250 million will be spent upgrading the city’s roads carrying out improvements and tackling the historic backlog of highways repairs.

Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet member for regeneration, said:

“This scheme is absolutely essential to improving traffic flow and we want to do absolutely everything we can to minimise the disruption that is caused to commuters and businesses while the work is being carried out.

“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.”

GRAHAM Construction have delivered many complex bridge projects in recent years including the award winning projects at Tennison Road, Croydon, Peace Bridge in Northern Ireland and Rosie Hackett Bridge, Dublin.

GRAHAM Construction will work collaboratively throughout the project with Liverpool City Council and their designer, Amey, to engage local stakeholders in order to ensure that investment in the scheme delivers benefits from start to finish.

Local businesses, community groups, schools, colleges and universities will all be encouraged to engage with the project team in order that the investment can maximise potential benefits across Liverpool and Merseyside.

GRAHAM Construction contracts director Dave Brown said:

“We aim to minimise the impact that this technically challenging scheme has on local people, businesses and road users.

“We have collaborated closely with Liverpool City Council to propose innovative construction techniques that has enabled us to keep Great Howard Street open to traffic for longer than initially envisaged. This has given us a great opportunity to help local businesses to plan their activities around these major works on a key arterial route into the city.”

For more information about highways investment in the city visit www.liverpool.gov.uk/betterroads, ‘like’ Better Roads on Facebook or follow on Twitter @betterroadsliv