April will mark the start of the much anticipated Mersey Gateway road and tunnel project following a financial close by Halton BC and the Merseylink consortium.

Merseylink construction joint venture (CJV) partners include: Kier Infrastructure, Samsung C&T Corporation and FCC Construcción S.A. They have announced that financial agreements have been signed off, allowing construction to begin on the £600million deal.

The news follows George Osborne’s £270m credit guarantee for the project during the recent Budget in March. Construction, operating and maintenance for 30 years is predicted to costs in excess of around £2billion.

Cllr Rob Polhill, leader of Halton Borough Council, said: “This is an historic day for Halton, but in many ways the real work starts now. We’ll now be working closely with the Merseylink team to help build a bridge that will create jobs, encourage investment and be a catalyst for regeneration in the area.”

The complex planning and procurement process began eight years ago after the Government backed the plans; since then, £250million of savings has been found for the project.

Kier have revealed their schedule for the first few months:

- setting up the accommodation compounds on both sides of the river

- final demolition work around Ditton, Astmoor, Catalyst Trade Park, Victoria Road and Hutchinson Street

- access roads across the saltmarsh to the river in both Widnes and Runcorn

- construction of two pylon cofferdams in the River Mersey from floating barges

- two floating trestles – one from each side of the river - to take vehicles to the two pylons

- upgrading the road network in Runcorn starting at the Bridgewater Interchange and M56 roundabout

Stephen Cardwell, project director for the Merseylink construction joint venture, said: “We’re pleased to have finalised this deal. The Merseylink consortium brings together leading bridge design, construction and tolling professionals who have worked on projects around the world, and I know the team is excited about the Mersey Gateway project. We’ve already started our work to engage with the local supply chain and potential employees and the response we have had has been encouraging.”

Following the grand opening of the bridge in Autumn 2017, the Silver Jubilee Bridge will undergo essential maintenance and remodelling to facilitate the needs of cyclists and pedestrians alike as well as provide better public transport links.

Haydn Mursell, group finance director of Kier said: “The chancellor in his budget statement last week confirmed the Government’s support for Mersey Gateway, recognising the huge economic, social and transport benefits that it will bring to the region.

“This is a landmark infrastructure project which Kier and its consortium partners are proud to be involved in. We have worked closely with Halton BC over recent months to reach this position and we look forward to delivering the project with them over the coming years.”