Regent Road, also known as the Dock Road, is the main route into projects such as Liverpool Waters, Ten Streets and Everton FC’s proposed new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock. Tony McDonough reports

Liverpool’s Regent Road, also known as the Dock Road, is to become more pedestrian and cycle-friendly in the next stage of £52m council road improvement project.

Contractors for Liverpool City Council have now completed works widening a major junction between Leeds Street and Great Howard Street (A565) and have moved on to begin an overhaul of Regent Road which runs through the north docklands. 

The first element of the work involves the laying of new pavements and road resurfacing with the creation of new footpaths to begin in February, followed by a purpose built cycle lane which will open up a new 13-mile riverside route from Formby in Sefton to the city centre for the first time.

A seven-mile southern cycle lane will then connect to Otterspool when the proposed upgrade to The Strand is completed.

Preliminary groundworks have begun to address culverts and drainage with the first phase, starting at the city centre heading north to the Grade II-listed Bascule Bridge at Stanley Dock, expected to be completed by the summer. The second phase which goes north of the 86-year-old bridge is scheduled to complete in the summer of 2019.

The improvements are seen as crucial for the wider regeneration of the area as Regent Road borders both Peel’s £5.5bn Liverpool Waters scheme, which includes the new £400m Liverpool2 container terminal and the Ten Streets scheme.

The road also leads directly to Bramley Moore Dock – the location for Everton FC’s proposed new football stadium.

Contractors, Geoffrey Osborne, are continuing to convert the A565 into a new dual carriageway, which is part funded by the Liverpool City Region Growth Deal.

• Other phases of the 2.7km long dualling project, which also will require lane restrictions, include:
• Phase 1: Leeds Street to Blackstone Street – road widening phase (completed by winter 2018)
• Phase 2 Bankhall Street to Millers Bridge – road widening phase (completed by summer 2019)
• Phase 3: Boundary Street to Bankhall Street – upgrade of traffic signalised junctions and street lighting with associated resurfacing (starting spring 2018)

Expected to finish by summer 2019, the £22m upgrade to North Liverpool’s Atlantic Corridors are a major part of Liverpool City Council’s wider £300m Better Roads programme to improve the city’s road infrastructure.

The scheme will be complemented by the creation of a further two new waterfront link roads, at the cost of £20m, at the city centre end of the A565, which are being built to support a proposed new £50m cruise passenger facility and new £30m Isle Of Man Cruise terminal.