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Mersey Gateway | HAL | Runcorn/Widnes | Cable-stayed Road Bridge | £600m

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#1 ·
New Mersey toll bridge approved

Detailed plans for the bridge will now be drawn up
Plans for a new toll bridge crossing the River Mersey have moved a step nearer with the promise of £209m of government funds.
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling has approved the Mersey Gateway scheme for entry into the national programme of major schemes and agreed funds.

It will provide a crossing of the Mersey between Runcorn and Widnes.

It will ease pressure on the existing Silver Jubilee bridge, which suffers congestion and is costly to maintain.

The government decision now allows Halton Borough Council to draw up detailed designs.

Mr Darling said: "The proposed new bridge would bring significant benefits to the local communities of Runcorn and Widnes, improve access to key developments such as Liverpool John Lennon Airport and help to support the continuing economic growth on Merseyside."

Roy Morris, chairman of the Merseyside Partnership, said the announcement was "fantastic news".

He said the bridge was of "massive strategic importance" to the North West. :cheers:
 
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#2 ·
Government approves second river crossing Mar 29 2006
By Sam Lister Daily Post Staff

THE Government last night gave the go-ahead for the second Mersey River crossing and pledged £209m of funding for the scheme.

The historic announcement came after Runcorn bridge bore the brunt of a day of transport chaos, as strike action by public service workers closed both Mersey tunnels and the ferry service.

Thousands of extra motorists travelled via Runcorn, causing long delays as commuters struggled to find alternative ways across the Mersey.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling's decision means work can now begin on designing the new second bridge and securing contractors. Building is now expected to begin in 2011 and should be completed by 2014.

Mr Darling said: "The proposed new bridge would bring significant benefits to the local communities of Runcorn and Widnes, improve access to key developments such as Liverpool John Lennon Airport and help to support the continuing economic growth on Merseyside."

Halton council chief executive David Par said: "This is the biggest decision for Merseyside since Capital of Culture. It is a momentous day and the culmination of 15 years of work."
 
#3 ·
This is a great piece of news!! but for me there are 2 issues.

1) The bridge IMO is in the wrong place it should nearer Liverpool as a continuation of the Knowsley Expressway over the river.

2) Another toll crossing!! this is rubbish. the last thing the Liverpool area needs is yet another deterent to movement built into its infrastructure.

Oh and BTW I hope someone has built in an inflation figure while working out the cost of this bridge, we don't want to end up on the floor like Merseytram!!
 
#4 ·
Major news.

Dougs is correct though for throwing his scepticism in. Logically, from a road point of view, the link is the Knowsley Expressway to the M56, it'll be interesting to see how the new crossing is linked to the Fordy and M62. Poor links there will be a deterent to Liverpool traffic but a bonus for Warrington/Manchester traffic from North Wales/Holyhead.
 
#5 ·
Doug Roberts said:
This is a great piece of news!! but for me there are 2 issues.

1) The bridge IMO is in the wrong place it should nearer Liverpool as a continuation of the Knowsley Expressway over the river.

2) Another toll crossing!! this is rubbish. the last thing the Liverpool area needs is yet another deterent to movement built into its infrastructure.

Oh and BTW I hope someone has built in an inflation figure while working out the cost of this bridge, we don't want to end up on the floor like Merseytram!!
Agree totally with you Doug,the bridge is in the wrong place.
What puzzles me is the story in todays Daily Post from Robin Tudor of Liverpool Airport.
He says this is great news for the Airport,it will greatly increase its catchment area.
How? it will not connect the M56 with the airport,wehich is what is needed.
 
#8 · (Edited)
kung_fuzi said:
Agree totally with you Doug,the bridge is in the wrong place.
What puzzles me is the story in todays Daily Post from Robin Tudor of Liverpool Airport.
He says this is great news for the Airport,it will greatly increase its catchment area.
How? it will not connect the M56 with the airport,wehich is what is needed.
The CAA/Airports define catchment areas as the size of population that lies within time travelled from the airport in question.

Examples; 1 hour by car/2 hours by car/1 hour by train/2 hours by train.
 
#9 ·
Sam Lister assesses the reaction to great news for Merseyside



BUSINESS leaders and politicians last night welcomed government backing for the Mersey Gateway as one of the most important announcements for the region in the last decade.

Campaigners have relentlessly lobbied ministers for permission to build the crossing to help ease traffic pressure on the Runcorn bridge.

The gateway is also expected to have a massive economic impact on Merseyside, generating an extra £80m a year, creating at least 3,350 jobs and making the region a more attractive business base.

Transport Secretary Alistair Darling approved the plans for entry into Whitehall's programme of major schemes and agreed government funding of £209m.


Although the project still has a long way to go, yesterday's announcement is a major hurdle cleared, and means the Government has finally committed itself to the scheme.


The second bridge crossing will cost a total £500m to build and run for the next 30 years, the rest of which is expected to come from toll fees and PFI (Private Finance Initiative) funding.


Last night, Cllr Tony McDermott, leader of Halton Borough Council and chairman of the Mersey Crossing Group, thanked all the local authorities and organisations that have supported the bid over the years.


He added: "This is a real landmark day for Halton and for the whole Liverpool city region.


"It is the biggest event in Halton for many years and one of the most important announcements for Merseyside in the last decade.


"We have been campaigning long and hard for this day.

"It is our bridge to prosperity and we will not stop until we deliver this truly spectacular piece of urban architecture on the ground.

"We know we will still encounter problems and there is still a long way to go, this is the news we have been waiting for many years.

"This is the beginning of the end but it is a big vote of confidence in the future prosperity of Merseyside.

"Not only is this going to be a wonderful improvement in our transport infrastructure it is also going to be a magnificent piece of urban architecture.

"We will all be celebrating tonight."

The existing Silver Jubilee Bridge, which opened in 1961, connects Widnes and Runcorn and is the only crossing on the Mersey along the 20 miles between the Mersey Tunnels at Liverpool and Warrington town centre. Yesterday's strike action by Mersey tunnel workers only added to its already heavy traffic load.


The tolled Mersey Gateway would run from the central expressway in Runcorn to the Eastern Bypass in Widnes,


about a mile and a quarter to the east of the Silver Jubilee Bridge, which at the moment carries 80,000 vehicles a day, 10 times more than it was ever intended for.


Dick Tregrea, strategic director at Halton council, said: "The strike today demonstrates the need for more flexibility when it comes to crossing the Mersey Estuary.


"The traffic has been very heavy over it today because there is no alternative."


The Government will hand over £86m, which will be used to fund the planning application, land acquisitions and procurement process.


The rest of the money will then be made up from £123m in promised Private Finance Initiative credits and fees from tolls.


Roy Morris, chairman of The Merseyside Partnership, has lobbied the Secretary of State, politicians and rallied the private sector in a bid to win support for the plans.

He said: "This is fantastic news. A new Mersey Gateway bridge is of massive strategic importance to the performance and expansion of the Northwest economy, with its significance reaching far beyond Widnes and Runcorn. "

Halton council officers have already been in talks with companies about building the bridge and will go out to tender in the next two years. Only a handful of firms worldwide are believed to be experienced and large enough to be involved in such a project.

The next big stage of the scheme will be the public inquiry but the Environment Agency has advised the council there should not be any major stumbling environmental blocks.

A planning application for the scheme is expected to be submitted next autumn with a decision made by the end of the year. Stephen Pearse, transport expert at Liverpool Chamber of Commerce, said: "This is a very positive, important decision. The crossing joins up the region and will have a massive impact on South Liverpool."

Liverpool John Lennon Airport will be one of the main business beneficiaries of the crossing and has been a major supporter of the campaign.


The bridge will provide a vital road link to it and extend the catchment area of its passengers. Robin Tudor, from Liverpool John Lennon Airport, said: "We are a big supporter of this and it is an important factor in our continued success."


The impact of the new crossing does not just affect businesses and commuters.


Peter Fahy, chief constable of Cheshire Constabulary, has been a keen supporter of the second crossing campaign, which he believes will help police respond to emergencies.


He said: "This is excellent news. On a day like today it shows how vital this crossing is. I have always had concerns when it comes to emergency planning for the region in the event of a major incident.


"This will give us more options."


It comes just months after Transport Minister Derek Twigg refused to grant £170m to finance Merseytravel's trams scheme.


samlister@dailypost.co.uk
 
#10 ·
bluesnapper said:
The CAA/Airports define catchment areas as the size of population that lies within time travelled from the airport in question.

Examples; 1 hour by car/2 hours by car/1 hour by train/2 hours by train.
So with the new bridge connecting virtually the same two points,linking Widnes with the Runcorn expressway,how will it increase its catchment area.
 
#14 ·
Runcorn's expressway is well connected to the M56 motorway, which at one end leads further into Northern Cheshire and Wales, and at the other end connects with the M6. Runcorn has a very modern expressway system which should have no trouble handling greater numbers of traffic heading from the M56/M6.

The new bridge will then connect this road to a link road in Widnes which connects (or will connect?) the Ford/Speke road with the the M62, Warrington et al.

The present Runcorn bridge forms part of the southern extreme of the Speke road (which leads over the bridge and straight into Runcorn, and beyond to Warrington in one direction and towards the M56 and north Wales in another.) However, the present bridge is massively over used and so the new bridge will provide improved access into South Liverpool from the M56 and M6. The better the access is, the more people will be inclined to use it.

:cheers:
 
#15 ·
At least it`s one box ticked.....
 
#16 ·
re LJLA, apparently Peel, which owns the airport, has been quietly buying up farmland on the widnes side of the airport to create a second access road for when the airport gets too busier for the one-way-in-one-way-out situation they have at current. maybe the bridge will bring that development nearer.
 
#18 ·
I was in a meeting with the old head of planning for KMBC and asked him why the M57 extension went so far away rom the edge of the city as to basically be a road to nowhere. He patted the side of his nose with his forefinger (as all knobheads tend to do) and said "you just watch, it won't be when there is a fucking great bridge going straight across the river from it's end point"

Stupid bastard!
 
#19 ·
Tony Sebo said:
I was in a meeting with the old head of planning for KMBC and asked him why the M57 extension went so far away rom the edge of the city as to basically be a road to nowhere. He patted the side of his nose with his forefinger (as all knobheads tend to do) and said "you just watch, it won't be when there is a fucking great bridge going straight across the river from it's end point"

Stupid bastard!
Lol,

Yeah, that guy sounds like a typical big knob industry type, i.e. arsehole. Maybe his dream will come true at some point in the next century.
 
#20 ·
bluesnapper said:
So will the new propsed one, see top left hand corner.


That looks like a very complicated junction.
The present Bridge leads directly onto the ford road,the new link road will cut across this.
The question remains,how will this greatly increase the catchment area of the Airport?
An increase could only be acheived by a direct cross river link with the M56.
Also remember the North Wales traffic uses the Weston Point Expressway onto the present bridge,the new one will bring no benefit to that traffic while an M56 link would.
Why would people from North wales use the new bridge instead of just continuing on to Manchester?
 
#21 ·
Tony Sebo said:
I was in a meeting with the old head of planning for KMBC and asked him why the M57 extension went so far away rom the edge of the city as to basically be a road to nowhere. He patted the side of his nose with his forefinger (as all knobheads tend to do) and said "you just watch, it won't be when there is a fucking great bridge going straight across the river from it's end point"

Stupid bastard!

That was the original plan,what went wrong?
 
#22 ·
Personally I think he just made it up to look important for 5 minutes!
He really did say it with utter conviction and in a really conspiritorial way actually, which makes me think that someone probably masturbated over the idea in front of him once so he thought it was a cert...

What was a much more likely reason for where the road goes is that it bounds the Halewood rectabgle nicely and they thought that by making this square physically on the map the government would just say 'yes KMBC, we can see you've made a square so we will have to agree to your plans to build shit in the green belt now'... They applied to Gov to develop the rectangle, but were told to go away.
 
#24 ·
kung_fuzi said:
North Wales traffic uses the Weston Point Expressway onto the present bridge,the new one will bring no benefit to that traffic while an M56 link would.
Why would people from North wales use the new bridge instead of just continuing on to Manchester?
Maybe this traffic will continue to utilise the present bridge, whilst the new one could cater more for the M6 traffic from Birmingham upwards, and large parts of Cheshire?

I agree that junction looks complicated. Looks like it could be a night mare unless it's incredible well designed.
 
#25 ·
Blabbernsmoke said:
Maybe this traffic will continue to utilise the present bridge, whilst the new one could cater more for the M6 traffic from Birmingham upwards, and large parts of Cheshire?

I agree that junction looks complicated. Looks like it could be a night mare unless it's incredible well designed.
But this traffic will still have to negotiate the Runcorn Expressway system,a direct link from the M56 would alleviate this.
 
#26 ·
The Runcorn expressway system is as fast and straight forward as the Speke road. It has never reached full capacity as the town never reached its target growth envisaged in the original master plan. It should provide as
good a link between the bridge and other roads as can be expected.

Put it this way, my folks place is about 3 mins. drive from the M56- they can get to LJLA from their house, off-peak, in 20 mins.- if that. Compare that to a 45min drive to Ringworm (add upto 30mins for peak time.)

Except for the Runcorn bridge itself, which can sometimes be a bit of a bottle neck- you can travel at 60mph practically all the way from M56/Runcorn to Liverpool airport. The roads are fast and straight and do not, at present, suffer from any congestion... except at the bridge.
 
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