|
£65m Edge Lane
works completed...
TRANSPORT minister Norman
Baker was in Liverpool on Wednesday, 9 May 2012, to mark the
completion of a multi-million scheme which has transformed a major
route into the City Centre. The Under Secretary of State for
Transport was given a tour of the £65million Edge Lane scheme. It
followed the completion of the final phase of the scheme; Edge Lane
West, between Botanic Place and Hall Lane, which has been largely
funded by the Government. The MP was shown the major
improvements which have been made; that includes the widening of the
road to make it a dual carriageway, reducing bottlenecks and
improving safety and journey times into and out of the city centre.
Work on the final phase of the scheme, carried out by contractor,
Birse Civils, was also included the building of a new central
reservation, the re-modelling of existing junctions, improvements to
pedestrian facilities and the installation of new street lighting.
The roadworks complement the £19 million highway improvements on the
adjacent Hall Lane, which were completed last year, completing plans
for a modern, 2 lane dual carriageway between the M62 Rocket
Junction and the city centre. Norman Baker MP said:- "I
am looking forward to seeing these schemes for myself. The
Government is committed to making sure that the infrastructure is in
place to help rebalance the economy and drive growth in all regions
of the UK."
The newly-elected Mayor of Liverpool, Joe Anderson, said:-
"Every major city needs to have really good arterial road links and
these improvements are something that Liverpool people and in
particular the business community; have been requesting for decades.
It's fantastic that it's now become a reality. Edge Lane is
Liverpool's front door, and the first thing many people see when
coming into the city; so it's important it looks good. For many
years this wasn't the case, but now, thanks to this project, we have
a gateway into the city that we can be proud of. The completion of
this scheme is a major landmark for the city, and forms part of our
wider plans to transform the area with a major regeneration scheme
which will deliver new homes, boost business and create thousands of
jobs."
Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Transport, Councillor Malcolm
Kennedy, said:- "I'm delighted that the Minister has come to
Liverpool to see the completion of this vital scheme for our city.
These works have brought about huge improvements to Edge Lane and
will benefit motorists for many years to come. Edge Lane is the most
important route into the city centre as well as the city's link to
the M62, and this work has created a safer, more attractive and less
congested route into the heart of the city. The completion of this
final section of highway improvements marks the end of a journey
which began at Edge Lane Drive in 2006. The enhancements to the
carriageway, alongside the new retail, residential and commercial
schemes will provide a fitting gateway into the city."
During his visit, the Minister receive a presentation on the scheme
at Liverpool Innovation Park, before being taken on a mini-bus tour
of Edge Lane, stopping at Botanic Road, Edge Lane junction and Hall
Lane South.
2020 Liverpool has designed the highway improvement schemes for Edge
Lane and Hall Lane on behalf of the city council; including concept
and branding, as well as providing project management on site.
Chris Lavery, Managing Director of 2020 Liverpool, said:-
"We're proud to have been an integral part of obtaining the funding,
designing and delivering this exciting project which forms the final
link to open up the primary route into the city from the national
motorway network. This project will play a major role in the
continued regeneration of the city."
The roadworks form part of the wider £350 million Edge Lane Project,
a comprehensive regeneration scheme which includes highway
improvements, over 550 new housing units and more than one million
square feet of new and refurbished commercial and retail floorspace
and community facilities.
It is estimated that the project has safeguarded nearly 2,000 jobs,
as well improving local services and the local environment, with
over 100 new trees being planted. For more details on the Edge
Lane Project, please visit:-
liverpoolvision.co.uk/edgelane.
|
 |
Bold Street
Liverpool 'cracks open' to reveal crocodile infested pool
Photographs and report by
Bill Hunt.
THE pavement on Bold Street
appeared to dramatically break apart on Saturday, revealing a
congregation of savage crocodiles snapping at shopper' heels. The
striking image of the crocodile-ridden pool that appeared outside
the Lyceum, complete with broken bridge for passers-by to walk
across, is the work of renowned British graffiti artists Dave and
Nick, and appeared in Liverpool on Saturday to promote Zebit, a new
way to finance products online and offline designed for
bargain-hunting shoppers who want to make their shopping
'snappier'.
The 3D image caused a few shoppers to stop in their tracks as they
went about their Saturday shopping, with some stopping to admire the
drawing, but most being keen to 'jump in' and have
their pictures taken on the drawing; attempting to wield a shopping
trolley brimming over with luxury goods over the rickety bridge.
A selection of photographs of
Liverpool shoppers snapped with the crocs can be seen on Zebit's
Facebook page and on
Flickr.
Renowned graffiti and 3D artists Dave and Nick have travelled the
world creating incredible street art that tricks the mind into
believing the works of art are 3 dimensional. The 3D street art is
drawn and painted from one perspective, which creates depth and
height when viewed from the same view.
3D pavement art has been around since French painters in the 16th
century created 'trompe l'oeil' (trick of the eye)
artwork to create the illusion of space and the outdoors on the
walls, floors and ceilings of villas owned by the wealthy. Since
then the art style has been used to entertain people and replicated
across the world. Dave and Nick have been painting 3d street
art for over 5 years now. Originally Dave was an art student and
Nick was an art teacher, they took their skill in fine art and began
to experiment with 3d effects.
Merseyside
Businesses Shortlisted for Green Award
THE amazing Southport
author, Joseph Delaney, who has written the multi-award winning
Spook's series, is returning from the filming of his books in the
USA to do a very special book signing and talk! This is an
international exclusive and will take place in Formby on Saturday,
12 May 2012. He will be reading one of his favourite bits of one of
his amazing books. That book will be his 10th book in the series,
'Spook's Blood'. He is keen to see his local fans, and if
you are lucky, you might even get to see his latest book,
'Spook's Blood' before any other members of the public see
it, anywhere in the world! He will also be signing some copies of
this new book and we will have a few for sale on our Mersey Reporter
Shop, but we expect them to sell out extremely fast! Joseph will
also be bringing us some film news and there will be a few of the
collectors' editions of Grimalkin available on the day as well! This
'World Exclusive' is scheduled for to run from 10.30
to 12 noon on Saturday, 12 May 2012, at Formby Books within
Derbyshires, in Formby (L374DU).
|
