Liverpool secures £13.4m for St George’s Gateway improvements

Part of Liverpool City Region Combined Authority’s successful Levelling Up Fund bid, the money will create segregated cycle lanes and pedestrian spaces as well as replace broken paving slabs.

Liverpool City Council’s cabinet agreed to accept the grant from the combined authority at its meeting on Friday. It also granted authority to the interim chief highways officer to award a contractor for the construction works.

One of the St George’s Gateway projects revolves around improving pedestrian and cycleway access at the Ropewalks. This includes replacing the cobble setts and paving slabs that are broken or uneven, as well as installing new seating areas, bike racks, bins and lighting. Part of this project is already underway, with Grahams Construction on site.

With the Levelling Up Fund award, the second phase of improvements can take place, enabling Grahams to work on improving Fleet Street, Colquitt Street, Ropewalks Square and Back Colquitt Street.

The council described the other three main schemes behind the St George’s Gateway project as follows:

St George’s Gateway Phase One – Dale Street/Great Crosshall Street

The development funding previously referred to, will be used to review current issues, and identify solutions for the area around Dale Street/Great Crosshall Street. This will include Improving Byrom Street/Hunter Street/Great Crosshall Street junction and operation of Great Crosshall Street; and, provide high-quality segregated cycle facilities, pedestrian space and controlled crossing points on Byrom Street

Chapel Street Cycle Facilities

Highways and Transportation identified a gap at the cycle network between the facilities already constructed at the Strand and the cycle lane to be constructed at Tithebarn Street. The investment at chapel Street will see the introduction of fully segregated cycle facilities closing the cycle network gap, ensuring a continuous segregate cycle lane connects new facilities at The Strand and Tithebarn.

Dock Road Cycle Facility

As above, this will address the cycle facilities disconnect at Waterloo Road and Regent Road closed. This will provide a continuous segregated cycle network connecting the Strand with newly constructed facilities at the north of the city.

Liverpool City Region Combined secured £37.5m to improve transportation in the region from the £4.8bn Levelling Up Fund. The money also went towards the Birkenhead Central Gateway and Maritime Corridor schemes

The government is currently accepting bids for the next round of Levelling Up Fund projects. Eden Project International has announced its intention to bid for £50m from the fund to support its £125m Eden Project North in Morecambe.

Read more: Levelling Up White Paper: ‘A start point, not the end’