Work on Mersey Gateway progresses

Activity on the Mersey Gateway project has ramped up with the arrival of two large cranes to Wigg Island in Runcorn.

The cranes, which measure 47 metres high and weigh 137 tonnes when fully assembled, were transported by barge up the Manchester ship canal from the Liverpool Docks. They will be used to build a temporary trestle bridge across the river, which will provide construction workers access to the estuary so they can start work on building the new bridge.

Stephen Cardwell, project director for the Merseylink Construction Joint Venture, said: “Being able to use a historic local waterway to transport our construction equipment has been of great benefit to both the project and the community. We have been able to use a sustainable transport method, which in turn, has reduced the need for large slow moving equipment on the local roads. This forms part of our overall mixed transport strategy and we will be using the waterways to transport more materials in the future.”

The economic, transport and social benefits the Mersey Gateway project will bring to the region include:

· 470 permanent full-time equivalent jobs on site during construction

· 4,640 permanent direct and indirect jobs

· £61.9 million a year in gross value added from the new jobs by 2030.

When it opens in 2017, both the new bridge and the Silver Jubilee Bridge will be tolled.