National Highways is pausing its work on the improvements to A5036 Port of Liverpool access road to reassess traffic levels following Covid and Brexit.

The road between the Switch Island Interchange and Princess Way is a key commuter route, as well as the main access connecting the Port of Liverpool with the motorway network. It currently suffers from severe congestion, which causes delays, safety issues, and environmental concerns. The Port of Liverpool is set to become even busier with the on-going development of Liverpool2, which will add to the pressure on the A5036.

However, it says that as businesses and their staff adopt new ways of working following the pandemic, more people work from home more often, and commuting habits seem to be changing.   

National Highways explains that an important part of developing its scheme design is modelling how our proposals affect traffic on and around the A5036. It will be updating that traffic modelling to take account of the impact of all the changes and will be working closely with Liverpool City Region partners to do that over the coming months. 

​”This detailed and important work is likely to take approximately 12 months to complete,” National Highways explains on the project website. “We will not be in a position to publish an updated project timeline, including when we intend to formally consult the local community and the wider general public on our proposals, until we have progressed our traffic modelling work. 

“In the meantime, we are also reviewing changes to planning and environmental regulations. We remain committed to working with the local community to ensure their views are considered and our scheme supports the economic, environmental and social ambitions of the City Region and its residents.”

The current proposals are for a bypass to take traffic away from communities by Church Road and Dunnings Bridge Road, reducing congestion at junctions and along local roads.

(Picture – National Highways)