Update on new plans set to transform access to Switch Island and surrounding areas

Traffic heading towards Switch Island.
-Credit: (Image: Andrew Teebay Liverpool Echo)


Sefton Council is set to approve an update to the 'Maritime Corridor' project which could transform access to one of Merseyside's busiest road junctions. The proposals are based on a £25m scheme to improve transport infrastructure and aims to reduce traffic and shorten journey times.

Councillors will convene for a cabinet meeting at Bootle Town Hall next week to make decisions on a number of different issues relating to the borough, including an update on the capital funding for phase one of the Maritime Corridor project. The scheme is expected to cost approximately £12.3m and, subject to a Grant Fund Agreement with Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, approval is also needed for a supplementary capital estimate for £12.303m.

In January 2024 Sefton Council presented a report on phase one of the Maritime Corridor including an update on an application for Levelling Up funding (LUF) for a series of transport related improvements in Liverpool, Wirral and Sefton.

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This scheme includes a series of improvements centred around the A5036 and the A59 and the employment land in between. The proposals are intended to reduce congestion, improve safety and provide easier access to employment sites in the south of the borough. Furthermore, consideration was given to how people walking or cycling could better access these sites and hence the scope of the scheme was increased to include active travel improvements.

Stretching from Switch Island to Netherton Way (A5038), the Maritime Corridor links Atlantic Park to the wider region. It also includes junctions on Ormskirk Road (A59), Dunnings Bridge Road (A5036) and Netherton Way (A5038), as well as the local road network. The Corridor is also key to connecting the Port of Liverpool with the wider region and is a recognised area for potential economic growth by both the Council and the Liverpool City Region.

The scope of the Phase 1 comprises of three main elements including the introduction of new cycle route on Netherton on Way linking the A5036 and Bridle Road, modification of the junction of A5058, Netherton Way and Bridle Road incorporating pedestrian and cycle crossings. With agreement with National Highways, introduction of a left turn lane from A5036, Dunnings Bridge Road, into Atlantic Park.

Tens of thousands of drivers rely on these busy junctions every day to get to work, for deliveries or to visit friends and family. The possibility of improving access to Switch Island will be of particular interest to road users in Sefton as the area has been subject to various reports about congestion related matters.

Two consultation sessions were facilitated by Sefton Council to gage public reaction and allow residents and road users to have their say on what issues are important for them. Additional progress has been made in areas of procurement with Balfour Beatty appointed to develop the scheme's delivery programme based on the design information.