Skip to main content

Construction commencing for Mersey gateway project

Work is now starting on the road links that will connect to the new Mersey Gateway Bridge, close to the UK city of Liverpool. The first work is being carried out at Junction 12 of the M56 in Runcorn, with workers commencing site clearance at the roundabout where the motorway joins the Weston Point Expressway (A557). This will take around six months to complete, with much of the work being carried out during off-peak traffic times so as to minimise congestion and this portion of the project should be finishe
September 15, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Work is now starting on the road links that will connect to the new 6126 Mersey Gateway Bridge, close to the UK city of Liverpool. The first work is being carried out at Junction 12 of the M56 in Runcorn, with workers commencing site clearance at the roundabout where the motorway joins the Weston Point Expressway (A557). This will take around six months to complete, with much of the work being carried out during off-peak traffic times so as to minimise congestion and this portion of the project should be finished by April 2015. While the project is being carried out, a 64km/h (40mph) speed limit will be implemented so as to ensure safety for construction personnel and this will be enforced for the next 42 months. To allow access to the site by workers, traffic management will be in place, with intermittent off-peak closures of lane one of all approaches to the roundabout. Once complete, the junction will provide a faster link between the M56 motorway and the new main route through Runcorn to the Mersey Gateway Bridge. The project will offer a series of economic, transport and social benefits to the region when it opens in 2017. Both the new bridge and the Silver Jubilee Bridge will be tolled but will be free to all residents.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Improving a key route through Florida
    November 9, 2015
    Upgrading a key route through Florida – novel construction techniques are helping widen a road in difficult geological conditions – Lucio Garofalo reports. A major road widening project underway in Florida is due for completion soon. The work will improve an important section of road, reducing congestion at peak period and cutting travel times for drivers. The US 331/SR83 highway runs for some 79km and provides an important link in Florida’s Panhandle area, as it connects with Route 98.
  • Nairobi Expressway construction ahead of schedule
    October 13, 2021
    The Nairobi Expressway construction project is ahead of schedule.
  • IAM suggests confusion over UK’s SMART motorways
    April 13, 2015
    The Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has expressed concern that widespread confusion exists amongst UK drivers on how best to use SMART motorways. These were officially introduced around this time in 2014 to replace Managed Motorways as the solution to the UK’s congested major routes. However concerns have been raised over the safety of the SMART motorways. England’s first all-lane running motorway, without a hard shoulder, was the 2.5km stretch of the M25 between junctions 23 and 25. Complete schemes
  • Motorway's tricky cable installation
    February 6, 2012
    The UK is now benefiting from the installation of sophisticated automated traffic management equipment and information signs on its motorway network. But with heavy traffic volumes on these roads, novel techniques have had to be implemented. One such operation, organised by client The Highways Agency and its consulting engineer A.One+, has recently been underway on the M56 motorway between Junctions 9 and 16 in north-west England under the Triple Package Advanced Works designation. To minimise traffic distu