Work will begin in April to widen the A565 (Great Howard Street/Derby Road) which handles traffic between Sefton and Liverpool along the northern docks.
Liverpool City Council has appointed a construction company to create a new dual carriageway on a major route into the city centre.
National contractor Osborne’s Liverpool-based project team won the tender, worth £18m, to widen the A565 (Great Howard Street/Derby Road) with work set to begin in April.
Upgrading the route, which handles traffic between Sefton and Liverpool along the northern docks, also forms part of a major regeneration drive.
The new 2.7km long stretch in the city’s Atlantic corridor is seen as crucial to a new creative village in the area – called Ten Streets – with the council set to announce a vision for the scheme this week.
The new dual carriageway will also pave the way for a major revamp of the historic Regent Road – aka “the Dock Road” – to make that more pedestrian and bike-friendly, creating a continuous cycle route from Crosby to Liverpool.
Lane restrictions rather than a road closure will be deployed to minimise disruption on the A565, which is also currently having a new £10m bridge created that will enable freight to travel to and from the new £400m Liverpool2 deep water container terminal.
The scheme, which includes improved paving, traffic signals and street lighting, will complete as follows:
- · Phase 1 – between King Edward Street and Blackstone Street – new dual carriageway section
- · Phase 2 – between Bankhall Street to Millers Bridge – new dual carriageway section
- · Phase 3 – Improvements to Regent Road – new cycle and pedestrian facilities
Expected to finish by spring 2019, the works are part of Liverpool City Council’s wider £250m Better Roads programme to improve the city’s road infrastructure and will be complemented by the creation of a new £20m waterfront link road at the city centre end of the A565.
Cllr Malcom Kennedy, Liverpool’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said: “I’m delighted a company committed to engaging local Liverpool supply partners has won this contract as we are very keen to ensure Liverpool’s regeneration stimulates the local economy at every level.