Two major highways improvement schemes worth a total of £11.8m are set to begin in Birkenhead in May. Tony McDonough reports
Two major highways improvement schemes will get under way in Birkenhead in May.
Costing a total of £11.8m, Wirral Council says both projects – around Conway Park station and Charing Cross – are designed to make the areas more attractive and improve accessibility and safety for all road users, including cyclists and pedestrians.
Funded from a combination of sources, including the UK government’s Future High Street Fund (FHSF) and Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Active Travel fund, the programmes will complement the wider Birkenhead regeneration plans.
John Graham Construction is the contractor delivering both schemes. It will have staff setting up work compounds from the end of April, with works starting in May and running through to summer 2025.
Costing £8.9m, the bigger of the two projects covers the area close to Conway Park railway station and Birkenhead bus station.
On Conway Street, between Hemingford Street and Argyle Street, there will be a full replacement of the footpath on the north side of the road, with new trees complementing the existing ones.
There will also be a segregated cycleway created on the north side of the road with better pedestrian and cycle crossing points along Conway Street.
As part of the same scheme, the existing dual carriageway on Europa Boulevard will be reduced and a new cycleway created using the west side of the carriageway and two-way traffic being introduced on the east side of Europa Boulevard.
This part of the scheme also includes replacement of the current paving. The final part of this scheme will see the Europa Square car park reconfigured to provide a better connection for pedestrians and cyclists between the bus station and railway station. It will result in the loss of 50 car parking spaces in the car park.
Of the £8.9m, almost £4m is from the FHSF – part of a £25m award to Wirral – and £3.85m from the Combined Authority. The remainder of the funding is provided through the Wirral Growth Company.
The other scheme, which is fully funded by a £2.9m award from the FHSF, is taking place around Charing Cross and the junction with Grange Road and Grange Road West.
This will see improved pedestrian crossings and new paving installed. On Grange Road there will also be new paving, as well as new trees planted. And there will be an increased focus on preventing vehicles accessing this area outside of loading times.
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As part of this scheme of works, a new one-way will be trialled on Grange Road West allowing traffic to drive down Grange Road West only in a westerly direction between Charing Cross and Clayton Street.
Residents will be able to provide feedback on the effectiveness of this trial after it is completed ahead of any decision as to whether the change will be made permanent.
Both projects will mean that Price Street Car Park, adjacent to Conway Park station, will be closed to the public for the duration of the works as it is being used as a material storage compound by the contractor.