Huyton granted £12m for active travel plans
Knowsley Council will enter a grant funding agreement to deliver an active travel and road capacity improvement scheme on Wilson Road and Tarbock Island.
The Liverpool City Region Combined Authority has awarded the council £12m for the two Huyton projects.
Plans for construction of a travel corridor starting at Wilson Road for pedestrians alongside a segregated cycle path will be allocated £4m.
Huyton Business Park would then be connected to the village centre, allowing for safe and environmentally friendly travel, according to the council.
In addition, Knowsley Council received an £8m grant to increase the number of lanes at Tarbock Island, a roundabout at Junction 6 on the M62.
Road improvements have been designed to ease congestion around Huyton Business Park, as well as in preparation for the proposed Halsnead Garden Village development.
LCRCA first agreed on 15 November 2024 to award the £12m to Knowsley Council.
Funding was derived from LCRCA’s £30m package to enhance active travel routes across the city region.
According to the grant funding agreement, the scheme must be completed by 31 March 2027, or risk a withdrawal of funding.
Construction will be undertaken by contractor Tarmac.
Knowsley Council’s cabinet meeting on 15 January is expected to sign off the active travel package as proposed by officers. The meeting will also consider part of a further £12m package for improvements around Junction 4 of the M57.
The first phase of this, for which sign-off is requested, is a £4.5m project to improve capacity and active travel at the junction of Moorgate Road the East Lancs Road, close to the motorway junction. Road-widening to enable a straight-ahead lane, upgraded signalling and lighting, resurfacing and cycle improvements are all included in the scheme.
Phase two of this package relaters to work on the motorway junction itself, and is still in the LCRCA “gateway” process.
In further plans, the Sefton Maritime Corridor, a walking and cycling link between the Port of Liverpool and Atlantic Park will also see £12.4m of enhancements to cycling and walking links.
A further £4.9m was granted to the planned Runcorn Busway scheme to contribute to the Palacefields area’s regeneration.
Excellent news. There’s nothing better than cycling around one of the country’s busiest junctions in the pouring rain and turning up for work looking like a drowned rat. Where can I buy a decent bike?
By Anonymous
Not sure how the active travel route along Wilson Rd into the Village Centre at Huyton will work for pedestrians and cyclists. Ok Wilson Rd is plenty wide enough but once you get to the railway bridge on Huyton Hey Rd it’s far to narrow for 2 way traffic so how they intend to get a cycle lane in there as well is a mystery.
By Anonymous
You might think such an awful motorway junction could do without a cycle track, that’s why it’s segregated.
But routes for non car owners to get to jobs in Warrington, Widnes and Huyton itself are also needed.
By Peleton
“Anonymous” complaining about looking like a drowned rat – have they ever heard of a “coat”?
Why is it always motorists who are first to jump into good news about active travel with their idiotic observations?
By Flixton resident
Yet more stupid needless cycle paths,we have them in St Helens and no one uses them, WHO cycles miles and miles to do a days work then do the same trip home, ROTHERHAM living on cloud 9
By Chris Appleton
@ Flixton, even coats get wet, do you know the area , only a masochist would go cycling round there even when the sun is out.
By Anonymous
What an absolute waste of money, no one will honestly use this as it’s one of the busiest junctions who honestly does the Risk assessments for these projects because they have not got a brain cell between their ears,
By Anonymous
Smart traffic lights on Wilson Road at the junction of Manor Farm Road are badly needed. Amount of time wasted sat at a red light when no other traffic is around is ridiculous!
By Anonymous
Widening the tarbock rdbt in the name of active travel, surely funding should be saught for a cycle pedestrian bridge to link all the arms of tarbock as during/after the works crossing over will be a nightmare. Hopefully they don’t waste more money on a half baked plan of installing 10 staggered traffic light crossings probably for a similar cost to a lightweight bridge. A bridge would actually improve matters while the lights would serve as an annoyance to all road users including pedestrians who have to wait for the traffic to go past before the sensors allow the lights to change!
By Mike Hunt