Highways England reiterates support for controversial Liverpool City Region bypass

A new bypass is the best option for replacing the A5036 Port of Liverpool route in Merseyside, according to Highways England.

The government-owned firm said it will formally defend its decision to opt for a bypass, after Sefton Council applied for a judicial review because a tunnel option was not included in the public consultation held earlier this year.

Following the consultation, Highways England confirmed in August it had decided to bring forward the design of a new bypass through Rimrose Valley.

The bypass was chosen over improving the existing route between the Port of Liverpool and Switch Island junction, where the road meets the M57 and M58 motorways.

Jim O’Sullivan, chief exec of Highways England, said of the decision: “The considerable cost and disruption of constructing a tunnel and ongoing maintenance and operational costs meant it was never going to be a viable solution.

“A bypass will provide similar long-term benefits to a tunnel – an almost junction-free link between the port and motorway network - at a significantly lower cost with less construction disruption and a much shorter delivery time when pressure on the existing road is increasing all the time.”

He added: “We want to continue talking to the council and local people to ensure we deliver an A5036 Port of Liverpool route which can support the local and regional economy.”

*Image: how the existing road might look after it is replaced with the bypass

Defending the decision not to include a tunnel as an option in the consultation, Highways England’s regional delivery director for the North West, Tim Gamon, said a bypass would deliver the same economic benefits as a tunnel – but would cost £1.25bn less.

Tim commented: “The tunnel simply does not provide value for money. Furthermore, the impact of delivering a tunnel through the park would mean the whole of the Rimrose Valley would potentially be ‘out of bounds’ for recreational use – including the sports pitches – for up to 6 years due to the scale of the construction and safety zones required.”

Highways England said it is now working on ideas to mitigate the impact of a new bypass on the country park, park users and those living nearby.

Environmental improvement measures could include landscaping, planted screening, noise barriers, improved leisure facilities and enhanced pedestrian and cyclist links.