£85m of road upgrades for Liverpool
UP to £85 million is set to be spent on major roads and transport schemes in Liverpool over the next four years to improve movement for pedestrians, cyclists and traffic flow.
A report to the city council’s Cabinet today outlines plans for a new city centre connectivity scheme, which includes dedicated coach parking, a review of bus routes to reduce delays and more priority for pedestrians and cyclists.
The Strand will become more pedestrian friendly to give easier access to the waterfront and there will be an upgrade of the A565 north Liverpool corridor to improve the flow of traffic and make Regent Road more pedestrian and cycle friendly.
There will also be improvements to the Lime Street area, including Parker Street and Elliot Street with links to St John’s and Clayton Square shopping centres which are currently undergoing major refurbishment.
An upgrade to the Tunnel Road/Earle Road junction in the Baltic Triangle with pedestrian crossings and cycle lanes will also be made.
A pedestrian and cycles crossing and shared cycle/footway to connect Everton Park to Prince Edwin Street – part of Project Jennifer – as well as east-west cycle links and crossings on Great Homer Street and Scotland Road are also part of the plan.
The funding is in addition to the £80m of the council’s own money being spent in the next eight years tackling the historic backlog of highways repairs in the city.
Cabinet member of regeneration, Cllr Malcolm Kennedy, said: “We are a growing city which is absolutely fantastic, but that means we need to invest in our infrastructure so we are able to handle the increasing amount of businesses, freight and people travelling to and through Liverpool.
“Our proposals are aimed at improving those key routes and areas which are busiest so that we can keep Liverpool moving and compete with other cities.
“We must also to balance the competing needs of pedestrians, cyclists and traffic, for example by installing better pedestrian crossings, including some where both cyclists and people on foot can cross safely.”
In addition, the Commercial District (BID) and the city council will spend a total of £1.4m resurfacing and improving footpaths and street furniture on Old Hall Street, Bixteth Street, Edmund Street, North John Street, Eberle Street and Leather Lane over the next 12 months, with £500,000 of improvements to Water Street taking place the following year.
The funding is separate and in addition to the £80m of the council’s own money being spent over the next eight years tackling the historic backlog of highways repairs in the city.
Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Cabinet member for regeneration, said: “We are a growing city which is absolutely fantastic, but that means we need to invest in our infrastructure so we are able to handle the increasing amount of businesses, freight and people travelling to and through Liverpool.
“Our proposals are aimed at improving those key routes and areas which are busiest so that we can keep Liverpool moving and compete with other cities.
“We are also to balance the competing needs of pedestrians, cyclists and traffic, for example by installing better pedestrian crossings, including some where both cyclists and people on foot can cross safely.”
In addition, the Commercial District (BID) and the city council will spend a total of £1.4 million resurfacing and improving footpaths and street furniture on Old Hall Street, Bixteth Street, Edmund Street, North John Street, Eberle Street and Leather Lane over the next 12 months, with £500k of improvements to Water Street taking place the following year.
Money for the projects is coming from the Growth Deal (£51m); the Highways Challenge Fund (£16m) and the STEP fund (£4.2m), supplemented by £12m of local authority cash and £900,000 from the Commercial District BID.
