Due to open in weeks the 1,000 metre long bridge is the centrepiece of the Mersey Gateway Project, which covers around 9k of road improvements around Runcorn and Widnes. Tony McDonough reports

More than 50,000 vehicles have now registered to use the £600m new Mersey Gateway Bridge which is set to open within weeks.

The 1,000 metre long bridge is the centrepiece of the Mersey Gateway Project, which covers around 9k of road improvements and a series of major new junctions running throughout Runcorn and Widnes.

As soon as it opens for traffic the existing the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge will close for vital upgrade work which is expected to take around a year.

The Mersey Gateway is tolled but there will be no pay booths. In order to keep traffic flowing as smoothly as possible drivers are being asked to register their vehicles online, over the phone or at local walk-in centres.

Tolling is being administered by a company called Merseyflow, a subsidiary of another business, Emovis Operations (Mersey).

Emovis chief executive Anthony Alicastro said: “It’s great to have reached the point where we have registered 50,000 vehicles. We’ve been operating for just under two months so this is great news.

“However, there are still plenty more people who have yet to sign up. The opening of the new bridge is drawing closer, so I would urge anyone who has been putting off signing up to act now, visit www.merseyflow.co.uk and complete your registration.

“It will mean you’re ready to use the bridge from day one, and that you avoid the inevitable rush of registrations that we receive when an opening date for the new bridge is announced.”

Dedicated cameras and sensors will read vehicle number plates and special merseyflow stickers to charge drivers.

Anyone who doesn’t pay by midnight the day after they cross will receive a penalty charge. Many Halton residents will be able to cross the bridge without paying a toll for a one-off annual fee of £10.