The A59 (the historic Liverpool to Preston road) is to undergo new roadworks from the junction of Great Mersey Street to Queens Drive in the Walton area of Liverpool.
Contractors King Construction, begin work on Monday, April 8 with the 12 month long programme to include three upgraded crossings, a new toucan crossing and two new pedestrian crossings, bus priority at two major junctions and 2km of road resurfacing.
The scheme has been designed to minimise impact to road users and has been scheduled to begin after The Grand National, with Aintree Racecourse situated just a few minutes’ drive along the A59.
Works will begin at the city centre end of the stretch, near to Scotland Road, with the scheme working north towards Queen Drive.
At certain times there may be road closures required to allow for safe working. These planned closures will be limited to overnight only (between 8pm and 6am) – unless there are unforeseen circumstances or an emergency situation arises.
Diversion routes will be in place and given the A59 also services the M57, M58 and M62 road users are advised that delays will be likely and those travelling to and from the Walton, Kirkdale and Anfield areas are encouraged to explore alternative journeys.
This scheme, a key element of Liverpool City Council’s £500m Better Roads programme to upgrade the city’s highways network over the coming decade, has received £3.5m from the Local Growth Fund (LGF) via the National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF).
Local Growth Funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s Strategic Investment Fund
Andy Barr, Liverpool City Council’s Head of Highways, said: “This revamp of the A59 in Walton is a significant and much needed investment and a good example of how the Better Roads programme is improving Liverpool’s highways infrastructure.
“Naturally, for a major arterial road connecting Liverpool city centre to our motorways and passing major venues as as Goodison Park and Aintree Racecourse, works of this scale will cause disruption but the programme has been designed to minimise impact and which is why the programme will begin after the Grand National.
“Once complete this stretch of the A59 will be a much more pleasurable experience for all road users and pedestrians.”
Mark Bousfield, Director of Commercial Development and Investment, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said: “One of the key ways in which we, as a Combined Authority, can help drive prosperity for everyone in our city region is through ensuring that we have the right transport infrastructure. Investing in key routes such as the A59 is vital and I am pleased to see this work getting under way.”