Seacombe Ferry Terminal is closed to the Mersey Ferries so a £7m upgrade can take place and the project has reached a major milestone with the installation of new linkspan bridges. Tony McDonough reports

New passenger linkspan bridges have been installed as part of the £7m overhaul of Seacombe Ferry Terminal on the Mersey,

Seacombe is one of the Mersey Ferries terminals on the river along with the Pier Head in Liverpool and Woodside in Birkenhead. It was closed in December 2020 to allow the refurbishment work to start. The terminal is due to reopen in spring 2022.

In the latest milestone on the project, the existing linkspan bridges, which were more than 130 years old, were removed and replaced. The landing stage has also been given an upgrade with new mooring bollards and powered gangways.

Carried out over a four-day period, the new north and south linkspan bridges and refurbished north and south boom were installed using a specialist Lara 1 crane ship after being transported up the river from Garston via a barge.

The works are part of a major investment to keep the services running at Seacombe for many years to come. Once complete, they’ll mean the landing stage can operate for another 25 years before any major future maintenance is needed.

Cllr Liam Robinson, Transport and Air Quality Portfolio Holder for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said: “The installation of these new linkspan bridges marks a major milestone in this significant investment at Seacombe Ferry Terminal by the Combined Authority.

“We’re hugely grateful to our loyal Mersey Ferries customers and their patience while these works are being carried out and look forward to welcoming them back to Seacombe in the new year.

“The Mersey Ferries are an important part of our cultural identity in the city region and these works will make sure that they continue to run from Seacombe for many years to come.”

In June it was revealed that the two Victorian anchors installed to hold down the landing stage at Seacombe are so well preserved they will remain in place after the revamp of the facility.