The final date for completion of all works at Liverpool’s most famous gateway has been confirmed.
After months of wrangling, collapsed contractors and resignations, Lime Street’s latest upgrade - a segregated cycle lane - opened to the public last month marking the next step in its arduous journey to restoration. Now, the date for the finishing touches on the long-delayed programme of refurbishment has been revealed.
Liverpool Council expects the project to “reach practical completion by December 2022, with some outstanding works to be completed end 2022.” That is according to an update on the Liverpool City Centre Connectivity programme issued to the authority’s environment and climate change select committee ahead of its meeting next week.
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Next week, an experimental traffic regulation order (ETRO) will go live around Lime Street’s road network that will allow buses to travel in both directions and the introduction of a 20mph speed limit along the route. The ETRO can be used to change the way existing restrictions function and can be in place for a maximum of 18 months, though it is expected a decision on the viability of the scheme will be made after six.
Among the additional works to be completed before the year’s end include the introduction of secure cycle parking facility, additional signage, enhanced coach access to Holiday Inn premises and the installation of York Stone benches. Lime Street’s troubles have been well documented, with the scheme hit by a series of delays and expensive setbacks.
The proposals required an additional £1.5m due to the pre-Christmas safety works which were necessary to be undertaken when the contractor went into administration. The wait for work to be completed prompted Cllr Dan Barrington, cabinet member for environment and climate change, to issue an apology to residents, while Mayor Joanne Anderson acknowledged the scheme had been “very controversial”.
To date, Liverpool Council has spent more than £62.6m on major projects including Lime Street, with around £4.5m remaining in its budget that has covered work at Tithebarn Street and the Strand. The overall City Centre Connectivity Scheme - which included Lime Street, The Strand and demolishing flyovers - had been expected to cost the city around £47m when it was first announced. This figure rose to £55m come 2021, rising again in July last year.
Phase two of works on The Strand are being reviewed by the council, key stakeholders and funders of the project, with a need to reach consensus on the “inclusion or exclusion of the bus lane and resolving some active travel routes/junctions.” The report said the need for design modifications and reviews would require additional procurement for a new principle designer and would result in delays to tender only being issued in 2023.
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