1st weekend road closure for flyover removal scheme

THE complex removal of Liverpool's Churchill Way flyovers is to move up a gear and have now started. Contractors are now on site dismantling the 3 footbridges that sit underneath the structurally flawed flyovers as part of phase 1 of the 4 month long deconstruction programme.  The footbridges, which were used to access Liverpool JMU's Byrom Street campus, finally closed to pedestrians on Friday, 6 September 2019 and to ensure their safe removal Byrom Street has been fully close and will re-opening at 6am, on Monday, 9 September 2019. The road closure means the Birkenhead (Queensway) Tunnel will be shut to Liverpool bound traffic only (except buses and emergency vehicles). Wirral bound traffic will be able to use the tunnel, as normal.  The Wallasey (Kingsway) Tunnel will be open as normal but is expected to be busy, and congestion, as a result of the works, is expected to affect both the approach and exit to the City Centre, including the Tunnels Those wishing to travel into and through Liverpool City Centre this weekend are encouraged to use public transport and Merseytravel have provided updated information which can be viewed online. 

The footbridge removal phase will take 3 weeks for Liverpool City Council's contractors, GRAHAM, to complete.  Stephen McFaul, Contracts Manager for GRAHAM, said:- "This is a critical project on behalf of Liverpool City Council and will support the continued transformation of the flyovers into a safe, secure area. We are currently working on a number of projects throughout the City and will once again apply our collaborative approach and technical expertise to maximise the success of this project."

Pedestrians needing to get to the LJMU campus can go via Dale Street and Hatton Garden to Great Crosshall Street or via William Brown Street, Islington and Hunter Street (when not fully closed).

Councillor Sharon Connor, Liverpool City Council's Cabinet member for Highways, said:- "The deconstruction of the Churchill Way Flyovers is a complex process, not least because they and the footbridges sit above two very bus roads that lead to the City Centre and the Queensway Tunnel.  Disruption is unfortunately unavoidable but a lot of thought has gone into the methodology to ensure the inconvenience to City Centre traffic and surrounding buildings is kept to a minimum. Public transport will be the best option for these weekend closures and we urge people to plan ahead when thinking about journeys to the City Centre at these times."

Flyover Deconstruction - The Process:-

► Once the footbridges are removed, the focus of the engineering task will swing to the removal of the 50 year old flyovers, each of which are more than 240m in length. This phase will involve heavy machinery removing individual spans in a pre-determined sequence.

► Each span, weighing up to 600 tonnes (more than a Boeing 747) will be temporarily supported, before being cut free and moved on to a special transporter to a nearby compound, where it will be lowered to ground level, cut into smaller sections and removed off site to be crushed. A total of 20 spans and supporting piers will be removed.

► The innovative methodology, devised collaboratively between Amey Consulting, GRAHAM and their specialist contractors, means the deconstruction can take place without having to implement a full programme road closure on 2 major arterial roads servicing Liverpool City Centre and the Queensway Tunnel.

► The compound at Fontenoy Street, which will see the sections cut into smaller pieces, has required tree removal, but the City Council has plans to double tree numbers as part of a new post flyover masterplan for the area.

► The phased dismantling of the 2 flyovers, which connect Lime Street to Dale Street and Tithebarn Street, has also been devised to minimise vibrations to protect antique art and cultural collections, as well as wildlife housed at the:- Walker Art Gallery, Central Library and World Museum Liverpool, all of which sit next to the South Flyover.

► Liverpool City Council has approved this hyper sensitive approach, at a cost of ₤6.75m, after the 2 lane highways were closed at the end of September 2018 following the discovery of construction flaws.

► Once the deconstruction is completed in December 2019, alterations will be made to the highway layout around the:- Hunter Street - Byrom Street - Queensway Tunnel entrance, to improve traffic and pedestrian movements.

Motorists and more information:-

As well as this weekend, there will be further weekend road closures of Byrom Street (and therefore the Birkenhead Tunnel to Liverpool, bound traffic) on 20 September to 23 September and 4 October to 7 October 2019.

► Hunter Street will also fully close for weekend of 13 September to 16 September 2019. Fontenoy Street will remain closed until 15 November 2019.

► A partial closure of Dale Street from Byrom Street to Crosshall Street will be required from 4 October to 14 October.

► Surrounding car parks at Fontenoy Street, Dale Street, Primrose Hill and Hunter Street have now all closed and will re-open as phases complete from mid- November to late December. If car journeys are necessary, motorists are being redirected to nearby car parks at Victoria Street, Mount Pleasant and Queen Square.

Gary Evans, Head of Customer Delivery at Merseytravel, said:- "Whilst the work to deconstruct the Churchill Way Flyovers is ongoing, we're working closely with Liverpool City Council and other partners to keep people moving. We advise people coming into the City Centre to drive only if absolutely necessary and consider other options including bus, train, walking or cycling. It's also important to plan ahead and leave plenty of time for your journey to allow for road diversions and rail engineering works in place this weekend. For more information about travel options, please check Merseytravel.Gov.UK or bus and rail operator websites and travel planners."

Also for more flyover information including all road closures and diversions go to:- Liverpool.Gov.UK.

Did you know? Funding for the deconstruction comes from the Liverpool City Centre Connectivity (LCCC) Phase 1 Grant Fund Agreement, which is supported by a ₤38.4m grant from the Local Growth Fund with City Council match funding of ₤8.7m. Local Growth Funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority through its Strategic Investment Fund.

Liverpool FC quartet to star in celebrity golf classic

4 of Liverpool Football Club's greatest ever players will swap their football shorts for plus 4's when they appear at a charity golf tournament, later this month. Mark Lawrenson, Ronnie Whelan, Bruce Grobbelaar and David Johnson will take to the fairways, at the La Manga Club, in Spain, to play in the Caudwell Children Celebrity Golf Classic on Thursday, 26 September and Friday, 27 September, 2019.

Caudwell Children provide practical and emotional support to disabled children and their families. The event, launched in 2011, is the charity's flagship sporting fundraiser and features a number of stars from the worlds of television, sport and music.

"It's will be fabulous meeting up with lads again and it's going to be a really enjoyable couple of days. La Manga is arguably the world's best sports resort and the golf courses are superb. But not only that it's for a great cause because Caudwell Children has just launched a specialist sports equipment programme that provides disabled children with the sports equipment that they need to participate, which is simply fantastic. Every child deserves the opportunity to play sport as it's vital for their physical health and mental wellbeing, so I'm delighted to be supporting the charity." explained BBC Match of the Day pundit Mark Lawrenson.

Lawrenson, who won 5 1st Division Championships, 1 European Cup, 1 FA Cup and three League Cups during his time at Anfield claims the pressure is off on his performance. He said:- "The other lads play much more golf than me. Ronnie and Dave are never off the course and Bruce rarely refuses a game, so if I get anywhere near their scores it will be a moral victory for me."

La Manga is located in a beautiful setting, bordered by natural parks and unspoilt beaches in the Murcia Region of Spain. It's 1st class facilities, and superior accommodation, has attracted professional athletes, clubs, sporting associations and celebrities since it opened in 1972, including David Beckham, actors Matt Damon and Sean Connery and Real Madrid Football Club.

"There'll no doubt be plenty of football talk as we make our way around the course," said Lawrenson. "We played in a number of very successful Liverpool sides; Ronnie won six Championships, Bruce won three FA Cups and Dave featured in three European Cup Finals, so there will be lots of stories to tell about those great days back in the 70s and 80s."

Mark Bushell, from Caudwell Children, is delighted to have enlisted the foursome for the event. "These are real legends in the game who have won everything that there is to win.  What football fan wouldn't want to play a round of golf with them, you'd be hanging of every word, even if you're not a Liverpool supporter."

There are a limited number of places available to play in the tournament and Mark is urging interested individuals or teams to sign up now to avoid disappointment. As he concluded:- "Participants can enter as a team of four or as a team of three, with a celebrity player. Prices include two nights accommodation with breakfast, 2 rounds of golf on the South Course, picnic lunch each day, transfers from the hotel to the course, 1st night BBQ dinner including house beverage package, and a last night gala dinner which includes local drinks."

You can find out more and book your place by calling:- 01782 433750.