Civil engineering specialist GRAHAM has completed a redevelopment of The Strand, one of Liverpool’s most famous roads, making it more cycle-friendly, improving public spaces and reducing congestion. Pedestrians and cyclists will now benefit from improved links between the city centre shopping areas and the waterfront leisure district as part of the wider £60m Liverpool City Connectivity Scheme.
As part of the project, GRAHAM’s engineering team created approximately 21,000m2 of public realm space, 800m of new two-way segregated cycle lanes and installed feature events spaces created with bespoke granite street furniture to visually enhance the area. GRAHAM’s project team also provided traffic signal junction upgrades to improve traffic flows and upgrade the carriageway pavement.
The scheme has rationalised and simplified junctions running along the Strand Corridor, helping to improve efficiency and redistribution of existing carriageway width, and providing enhanced facilities for pedestrians and cyclists on the highway. The improvements will also make The Strand safer, future-proof the city’s infrastructure and help mitigate the impact of climate change.
The Sustainable Urban Drainage system (SuDs) forms part of the EU Horizon 2020 URBAN GreenUP; a global research and innovation project that is helping to deliver aspects of the Mersey Forest Plan in Liverpool. Over 130 new trees were also planted, many of which utilise a Sustainable Urban Drainage System (SUDS) with architectural lighting improvements. The innovative SuDs being used on The Strand will reduce the pressure on the grids and gullies during periods of heavy rainfall reducing the need for excess water to go into the drainage system, alleviating flooding whilst helping the green infrastructure.
On completion of Phase One of The Strand redevelopment, GRAHAM’s Civil Engineering Highways Director, Dave Brown, said: “We are delighted to have delivered the first phase of this flagship highways project, which will radically transform Liverpool city centre’s transport links and enhance the city’s major routes, benefitting motorists, cyclists and pedestrians alike.
This is The Strand’s first redevelopment since the 1950s. Previously the route has suffered from gridlocked traffic at peak times, and we hope the simplified design will relieve congestion and improve traffic flow.
Mr Brown added: “The Liverpool City Centre Connectivity is a flagship project for us and it has been fantastic to see the successful delivery of this phase of works. I’d like to thank the project team and associated stakeholders for their hard work in delivering this work and helping to impact travel in Liverpool.”
As part of the wider LCCC Scheme funded by Liverpool City Council and Liverpool City Region, GRAHAM has previously delivered the widening of pavements, removal of bus layovers as well as tree planting and new public realm features in Victoria Street, Brownlow Hill, Moorfields and City Coach park.
