Construction of a £35m Liverpool city region bus interchange and travel hub reaches a major milestone. Tony McDonough reports
A £35m project to create a new bus and travel interchange in St Helens town centre has taken a major step forward.
Manchester-based business Crystal Architectural Aluminium has installed glazed interior walls on the structure. Made with tempered glass that is five times stronger than standard glass, the glazed walls have double the soundproofing.
They also offer better UV (ultra-violet) protection from the sun’s rays than a standard pane of glass.
Now the St Helens Transport Interchange is watertight, main contractor VINCI Building and its subcontractors can begin installing the necessary infrastructure and the internal features which will support bus passengers, cyclists and pedestrians.
These will include a new travel centre, seating areas, real-time travel information digital signage, accessible toilets (including a Changing Places facility), and temperature-control systems.
The area surrounding the new hub will also be enhanced to make it easier to travel to and from St Helens Central Rail Station, and key landmarks such as the Gamble Building, Theatre Royal, and the forthcoming Hampton by Hilton hotel.
This project is being delivered with £32m from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority via the City Region Sustainable Transport Settlement (CRSTS), alongside £3.25m from the Government’s Towns Fund.
It is part of the £100m regeneration of the town centre. Phase One includes a new market hall, a 120-bedroom Hampton by Hilton hotel, 56 apartments, eight townhouses and more than 4,000 sq ft of retail space.
READ MORE: Huge Liverpool site earmarked for new development
READ MORE: Mayor halts £250m Merseyrail shareholder gravy train
Martin Horton, senior project manager at VINCI Building, said: “The installation of this high-performance glass façade is another key step forward.
“Now that the structure is watertight, our teams can safely pivot to the internal fit-out, including the climate-control systems, digital signage, and the new Travel Centre.”