Trio of firms secure contracts worth a total of £11m from Liverpool city council for the upgrade of 29 roads. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool City Council has appointed three contractors to carry out upgrade work on 29 roads in the latest £11m phase of its highways investment programme (HIP).

Bootle-based Dowhigh, Huyton Asphalt Civils, based in Prescot, and Birmingham-headquartered Tarmac Trading will all deliver what the council is calling an “eco-friendly” maintenance programme.

Construction on HIP Central phase 2 has begun whilst design and site investigations are currently being undertaken for HIP North and South. Construction works are set to start late 2023 / early 2024.

Key roads to be upgraded include Priory Road and Townsend Lane in Anfield, Princess Drive and Finch Lane in Yew Tree and in Speke, Alderfield Drive and Alder Wood Avenue.

Dowhigh will deliver 10 schemes in north Liverpool, HA Civils will take on 11 jobs and the remaining eight will be delivered by Tarmac Trading.

Their appointment follows the delivery of 70 schemes as part of the initial HIP that has been delivered to date across 2022 and 2023. This saw almost £20m invested in highways infrastructure.

The HIP programme has been designed to improve the environmental footprint of highways construction. In phase one, the authority claims 68 tonnes of CO2 emissions were saved through de-carbonisation processes.

And a focus on recycling has meant that 3,171 tonnes of hard to recycle waste has been diverted from landfill or incineration through specific recycling partnerships. Other highlights of that phase include:

• 100,000 sq m of new carriageway plane and inlay resurfacing.
• 100+ new tactile crossing installations for improved accessibility.
• £1,23m investment through contracts with local micro, small and medium enterprises.
• £2.1m investment into the local supply chain through contracts.
• £960,000 invested in around 45,000 sq m of micro asphalt surface treatment city wide across 40 sites.
• 163 weeks of apprenticeships completed during the year, or supported until completion in Level 2, 3 or 4+.
• 19 individuals hired who were long term unemployed as a result of a recruitment programme.

Key roads completed in this phase include: Altcross Road and Bull Lane in the north, Larkfield Road and Aigburth Vale in central, and Banks Road and Mersey Road in the south.

Cllr Dan Barrington, Cabinet Member for Environment and Climate Change on the city council, said: “I’m delighted we’ve appointed the contractors to deliver this next phase.

READ MORE: Wirral town secures £10.7m Levelling Up cash

READ MORE: Mersey manufacturer wins £2m contract in Sudan

“They are all experienced firms with a long track record of delivery in the city region, and the local supply chain will benefit greatly from this investment – as they did in phase one.

“Some schemes will begin immediately and we know this will mean disruption, but the long term gains for our communities will be worth it, with safer roads for everyone to use.”