Government to fund new £600m Mersey bridge
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has announced a funding package worth up to £470m to fund the new £600m Mersey Gateway Bridge crossing between Runcorn and Widnes.
The Mersey Gateway Bridge project will be a three-lane dual-carriageway bridge which will improve links between Liverpool's city-region, north Cheshire and the wider North West. It will also ease congestion on the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge at Runcorn.
The government said construction of the new bridge is expected to begin in 2013 and is due to open for traffic by 2016.
The construction cost of the project (including land) is around £600m, which the Department for Transport will support with a mix of capital grant and continued revenue funds for PFI payments.
The existing bridge, located 1.5 miles to the west of the new bridge, will be converted into a local traffic bridge. There will be toll charges for users of both bridges to help fund the scheme.
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond said: “The Mersey Gateway Bridge is an important transport project which will improve journeys and boost economic growth.
"It will not only provide much needed traffic relief for the existing Silver Jubilee Bridge, but also help to regenerate the Borough of Halton, the Liverpool city region and the wider North West by improving transport links, maximising local development and regional economic growth opportunities.
Steve Nicholson, director of the Mersey Gateway Project, said: “We have been working very closely with Government over recent months to finalise the details of this agreement and I am delighted with the results.
"This agreement represents the best possible deal for the public purse and means that we can focus on delivering a project that will bring benefits to local people, commuters and businesses from across the region.”
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