Author: Ollie Cowan

Work is to begin next week on installing new underground utility trenches as part of a £22m upgrade to a major route into Liverpool city centre.

Contractors, Osborne, are to start the latest phase of the Great Howard Street (A565) scheme on Tuesday, 18 September.

To allow for the works to be carried out the inbound lane, heading south to the city centre, will be closed for four weeks from the junction of Blackstone Street.

The outbound lane will also be reduced to a single lane.

Motorists travelling in to Liverpool from Bootle will be guided by a series of road diversions – at Millers Bridge, Bankhall Street, Sandhills Lane and Boundary Street – with drivers guided to use the Stanley Road, Commercial Road and Vauxhall Road corridor into the city centre.

The utility works are timetabled to run until Friday, 19 October, but will be suspended from Thursday-Sunday, 4-7 October as the city hosts The Giants – a spectacular street theatre performance.

The upgrade of Great Howard Street, which will see it become a full dual carriageway in Autumn 2019, is part of a wider £100m investment in the roads infrastructure along the north Liverpool docks including the relaying of Regent Road with a new cycle lane, as well as the forthcoming creation of two new waterfront link roads to support the city council’s new Cruise Terminal and the new Isle of Man Ferry terminal.

Earlier phases on the Great Howard Street scheme included a new bridge, completed last September, which was designed to support freight traffic for the Liverpool Superport and a new wall to improve access to the historic Stanley Flight canal lock system, which sits within Liverpool’s World Heritage site.

The investment is seen as a crucial to the development of major regeneration schemes such as the Ten Streets creativity district and Peel’s £5bn Liverpool Waters scheme. The works would also benefit Everton FC’s proposed new stadium at Bramley Moore Dock.

Councillor James Noakes, Cabinet member for Highways, said: “Great Howard Street is a critical arterial road for Liverpool connecting Bootle and Sefton to the city centre and its upgrade is vital to the development of the North Liverpool economy – not least the Ten Streets creativity district and the new cruise facilities.

“These utility works are a critical phase of the scheme and unfortunately the only way for our contractors to carry it out is to close off the city centre bound lanes over the next month.

We know this will cause disruption to commuters but fortunately the area is serviced by other major roads and we have tried to ensure the impact is kept to a minimum with the works to be carried out in the shorted possible timeframe.”

Liverpool City Council is investing a total of £500m across the city’s highways network – from creating new roads to repairing potholes and highway verges.
This was recently boosted by a £200m package to be invested over the next five years across three main elements:

• £160 million in road reconstruction
• £25 million in resurfacing and patching work
• £15 million specifically earmarked for addressing potholes
To assist residents, commuters and business to track current an online map was launched which highlights current and planned road repairs and can be found at : https://liverpool.gov.uk/roadimprovements

Time is quickly running out for people to get their hands on tickets for the 2018 British Musical Fireworks Championships in Southport.

Seven amazing pyrotechnics companies will go head to head over three nights as the annual fireworks contest returns to Victoria Park from September 28 to September 30.

Two companies will wow the crowds on Friday, three on Saturday, two more on Sunday with the winning display announced later that evening.

And to wow the thousands of spectators even more, local bands from across Sefton and Liverpool will play a special pre-show gig on each of the three nights.

They will set the tempo for three days of pyrotechnic wonderment as seven companies vie it out for the illustrious championship.

Gates open each night at 6pm, with bands performing from 7pm and fireworks displays scheduled to start at 8pm.

Cllr Marion Atkinson, Sefton Council’s Labour Cabinet Member Regeneration and Skills, said: “The British Musical Fireworks Championship really is an amazing event and one which has lit up the sky for nearly 20 years.

“It’s festival of colour and light that would not be possible without the continued support of Sefton Council.

“To celebrate this years event we have incredibly talented local bands who will give thousands of spectators a truly unforgettable experience.

“Crowds from all over the North West attend the event at Victoria Park and ticket sales have yet again been very strong in the lead up to this year’s event.

“Local businesses really benefit from the added footfall to the town over the weekend and I am looking forward to seeing the quality of displays on show this time round.

“If you are thinking of attending please try and get tickets in advance to avoid missing out, Saturday seated tickets have already sold out.”

Tickets are still available for all three nights starting from £5.50.

For further details and to book tickets head to www.visitsouthport.com.