Liverpool city centre £47m revamp will see months of roadworks

Victoria Street will be one of the first roads to be overhauled in the new scheme

A "seriously needed" £47m revamp of Liverpool city centre - which will cause months of roadworks - is to start on Monday.

The first package of works for the Liverpool City Centre Connectivity scheme starts in Victoria Street.

The aim of the plan is to make the city easier to navigate for pedestrians, cyclists and motorists.

Mayor Joe Anderson said: "This is an investment that is long overdue and an investment that is seriously needed."

The council said commuters would face delays during the work but information to help would be provided.

Mr Anderson added: "Our roads are in a pretty poor condition and we need to do something about that quite quickly."

The scheme, part of the council's wider £500m Better Roads programme, will focus on re-engineering the city's major routes.

Liverpool Metro Mayor Joe Anderson said the investment was overdue

The work on Victoria Street will see roadworks there until November, running from North John Street to the Queensway Tunnel.

It includes widening of pavements, removal of bus layovers, tree planting and new "public realm" features.

• The first phase of work will also see improvements to Tithebarn Street and Moorfields from June to September to improve pedestrian access.

• The second phase includes work on a new city centre bus hub on Old Haymarket, which is the subject of a planning application.

• Improvements also include works to Brownlow Hill and the council's £1bn Paddington Village development. These works will run April to October.

• An improved city coach park will be created by expanding the existing facility on Riverside Drive to accommodate 30 vehicles. Work on this is due to begin in September and finish in February 2020.

• A start date for the remodelling of Lime Street and The Strand, as well as the introduction of new bridges across Canning Dock, has not yet been set.

The Better Roads Programme includes a £100m programme to upgrade the city's North Liverpool corridor with the creation of two new waterfront link roads.

James Noakes, Liverpool City Council's cabinet member for highways, said: 'This new connectivity scheme addresses many of our current and future needs to improve the city centre welcome and provide an experience befitting a world class city."