Mersey Gateway Project, Cheshire, United Kingdom

The Mersey Gateway Project is a proposed new toll bridge project across Mersey River to connect Widnes and Runcorn towns. It includes several road improvements in the borough of Halton, Cheshire, north-west of England. The project is being carried out by Halton Borough Council and the Mersey Crossing Group. Work on the Mersey Gateway toll bridge will commence in 2011. It is scheduled for public opening in 2014.

As part of the project, the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge (SJB) will be modified to improve facilities for public transport, cycling and walking across Mersey River.

The pre-application consultation for the Mersey Gateway was done during June-September 2007. The planning application for the project was submitted in March 2008. Halton Borough Council started consultation on the planning application in the same year.

Tenders will be issued for the construction and operation of the Mersey Gateway following the outcome of a public inquiry in 2010. Contracts for the construction and maintenance of the project will be awarded in 2011. The project will create 470 jobs during the construction phase and approximately 4,640 permanent new jobs through the entire Mersey Gateway operation, new and inward investments, and regeneration activities.

Mersey Gateway project details

The £431m Mersey Gateway project will relieve road traffic congestions on the existing SJB, which serves approximately 80,000 vehicles every weekday. The bridge, built in 1961, is the only road link that connects the Runcorn and Widnes towns internally within the borough.

The new Mersey Gateway bridge will be integrated with the existing principal road network and roads will be improved to relieve the SJB and transfer around 80% of the traffic onto the new bridge.

The Mersey Gateway is expected to provide significant benefits such as shorter journey times, reliability, regional and local regeneration of Runcorn, Widnes and across the region, and generate an estimated £61.9m a year in gross value added by 2030 to boost the regional economy.

The project will provide a new strategic transportation link to the North Cheshire, Liverpool city region and the north west, as well as the rest of the country. It will also enhance the infrastructure investments and help the regeneration of Halton and the north-west regions. The project will also provide an opportunity for the long-term regeneration programme covering 20km² across five areas of the borough.

Mersey Gateway project details

The Mersey Gateway project will involve the construction of a new toll bridge and the rehabilitation of an approximately 10km-long road network from the North Cheshire motorway (M56) in the south of Runcorn to the Speke Road in Widnes. It will also include improvements and changes in the existing Halton road network to integrate the project into the existing highway network.

The proposals include the closure of two access roads connecting the Widness regional network and the SJB, to enable the flow of traffic onto the new bridge. The two access roads to be closed are the A557 Widnes Eastern Bypass and the SJB link; and the A533 Queensway that connects Speke Roundabout Interchange (A562) and the SJB.

The project will integrate public transport, cycle and pedestrian-connecting links across Halton. It will also establish tolling facilities and develop associated infrastructure, including project landscaping.

The new bridge will be located around 1.25 miles east of the existing SJB. It will connect the Central Expressway in Runcorn and the Eastern Bypass in Widnes. The bridge route will continue until Speke Road, heading towards Liverpool.

The SJB will be modernised to a two-lane carriageway and will have new, safer pedestrian and cyclist links. It will be mainly used for local and public transportation. The SJB will, thereby, serve local and regional economic development. Measures will be taken to considerably reduce air pollution and improve local air quality.

Mersey Gateway bridge design and structure

The Mersey Gateway bridge will be a cable-stayed bridge with three towers. It will be similar in design to the Second Severn Crossing bridge and a recognisable structure across the northwest. The 2.3km bridge will have three lanes with a dual carriageway across the river.

The bridge will have two 300m-long outer spans supported by three piers in the river. The cable-stayed element of the bridge will be 1km-long across the estuary. The height of the outer structure towers at the highest point will be 135m above the river bed. The foundations of the bridge will be 30m-deep below the river bed.

The design is expected to deliver maximum benefits for the local community and a minimum impact on the surrounding environment and the estuary. The tolled crossing will have a speed limit of 60mph.

Mersey Gateway bridge congestion charges

The existing SJB and the new bridge will be tolled when work on the Mersey Gateway project is complete. The tolling of the SJB is proposed to reduce traffic congestion by about 80%. Tolling will also reduce traffic jams due to the expanded capacity of the new bridge.

Project financing

The cost of the Mersey Gateway project is currently estimated to be £431m. Investment will be made in land purchase, construction and allied works. The allocated budget includes £200m for the new bridge construction, £100m for road improvements, £90m for land acquisition and £41m for further refinements.

The UK Government will fund £86m of the total costs, and the remaining will be provided through a public sector operating grant – Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits and private finance.

Construction funds by the private concessionaire, about 77%, will be repaid in the form of toll revenue for a concession period of 30 years. The government will contribute £123m in PFI credits over the concession period to maintain lower toll costs.