£120m improvement plan unveiled for Liverpool’s busiest junction

A £120m plan to improve the busiest motorway junction in Liverpool has been unveiled.

The plan to transform the Rocket junction at the foot of the M62 would include pulling down the Queens Drive flyover and the construction of a new tunnel.

The scheme to alleviate congestion at the junction also includes a new roundabout and underpass.

Transport for the North has included Liverpool City Council’s proposed scheme as one of four projects in its £700m framework of works that are considered critical to the economic growth in the North.

The junction is the busiest in Liverpool and an estimated 100,000 vehicles use it every day.

According to the city council the junction is now operating at full capacity during peak periods and the situation is likely to get worse over the next five years.

The improvements would cut journey times by 15% and also reduce air pollution levels.

Liverpool City Council has offered to find £28m of the £120m bill and work on the seven-year project could start in 2023.

The council says the junction is currently operating at full capacity in the morning and evening peak periods – a situation that is expected to get worse over the next five years.

Joe Anderson, Liverpool’s mayor, said:  “The Rocket is not fit for purpose – it can no longer cope with the traffic coming into the city via the M62 and as a welcome to Liverpool it is a hugely negative experience.

“In its current state the Rocket junction is causing commuter misery every single day and by its flawed design is causing congestion and contributing to greater air pollution.

“We need the M62 to work for Liverpool and the wider city region – for our economy and our environment.

“This scheme needs a huge amount of development and consultation to get it to the stage of delivering it but if the government is serious about investing in the Northern Powerhouse, this is a scheme that will certainly unleash huge benefits for all concerned be they commuters, businesses, residents and visitors to our city.”

Peter Molyneux, Major Roads Director at Transport for the North, said: “As part of our pan-Northern bid for £700 million of investment in our roads, we’re pleased to put forward for funding the upgrade scheme for the Rocket Junction, working in partnership with Liverpool City Council.

“As the busiest junction in Liverpool, with more than 100,000 vehicles travelling through it each day, this is a pivotal project that will have wide-reaching benefits for people and businesses.

“As well as bringing journey times down locally it will also have a positive impact on the wider motorway network and support the city’s ambitious growth plans.”