Emergency Lane Closures in place on the Mersey Gateway Bridge
On 7th February 2024, it was identified that a section of expansion joint in Lane 2 on the Southbound carriageway of the Mersey Gateway Bridge was damaged. To mitigate any potential safety hazard to motorists emergency lane closures of Lanes 1 & 2 were installed. These emergency closures have resulted in significant traffic congestion and delay on the bridge and adjacent local networks.
Specialist equipment and expertise are required to carry out the required remediation works. These have now been arranged and remediation works will commence at 8.00am on Friday 9thFebruary. The works will take six hours to complete with traffic management removal beginning at 2.00pm on Friday. Unfortunately, lane closures must remain in place until these works are completed.
Further disruption on the road networks will occur both this evening and on Friday morning as a result. Merseylink wish to apologise for the inconvenience and disruption being experienced.
Mersey Gateway Time Bank returns to boost Halton Communities in 2023
The innovative local support scheme developed as part of the Mersey Gateway Project to boost community organisations in Halton is returning for 2023, after being postponed for a couple of years during the pandemic.
The Mersey Gateway Time Bank is a way for Merseylink and Merseyflow to demonstrate their commitment to the local area and provide practical help and support to organisations like schools, colleges, charities, and community groups.
The scheme matches the skills of the Merseylink and Merseyflow teams with local needs to provide long-lasting benefits to community life in Halton by offering a commitment of time, expertise and resources.
Community groups, charities and voluntary organisations who are interested in applying for support from the Time Bank are advised to get their applications in as soon as possible by emailing info@merseylink.com.
Time Bank has already gifted over 20,000 hours of support locally across a variety of projects in Runcorn and Widnes.
Play areas, village halls, studios and community facilities are just some of the organisations that have benefited from previous rounds of Time Bank activity since 2014.
One of those to benefit in the past was LOOSE Charity in Widnes, which had a garden area completely transformed with new paved areas, planters and garden furniture for service users to enjoy.
Louise Nulty, studio project manager at LOOSE charity, said: “To have the support of Time Bank to transform our back space into a welcoming, attractive haven is fantastic.
“The revived area lifts everyone who attends, especially those who have seen it over many years. They can’t believe the change and the fact that it is now a useable and beautiful place for our visitors.”
A minimum of 30 days per year are committed through the Time Bank scheme, and assistance can include anything from regeneration activities, career advice, technical advice, general maintenance, painting and litter picking, as well as any suggestions applicants can provide.
Individuals from Merseylink and Merseyflow have also expressed an interest in offering more personal commitments such as mentoring, coaching, and presentation skills aimed at young people or the unemployed to increase their chances of securing sustainable employment.
Karen Atherton, Merseylink Network Steward and Time Bank Lead, said: “We’re so pleased that we’re able to reopen applications for the Time Bank after having to take a break due to the pandemic. We’ve always had a really positive response from organisations that need additional support, so I would recommend getting your applications in early. Our team is raring to go and can’t wait to jump into some new projects to help the community in Halton.”
Emma Simons, Head of HR at Merseyflow, said: “We’re proud to support the work of amazing local charities through the Time Bank initiative. Getting involved in the community challenges brings our team together and provides the opportunity to engage with other volunteers and local charities. We’re excited to see what new projects we will be giving time to in 2023.”
This year’s Time Bank will run until Friday 31 March 2023. More information is available by emailing info@merseylink.com.
Almost 24 million journeys made over the River Mersey in Halton in 2022
New figures released by merseyflow show that residents, commuters and visitors in Halton made almost 24 million journeys over the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges in 2022 as year-on-year journey levels continue to rise since Covid.
This includes growing journey numbers across the new look Silver Jubilee Bridge, with October and November 2022 the busiest months for traffic yet since it re-opened in early 2021.
Journey levels are up and PCN levels are down on the two toll bridges with journey numbers for October-December 2022 rising by 300,000 compared to the same period last year, whilst year-on-year PCN numbers continue to fall.
The newly released quarterly figures from merseyflow include trips made across both the Mersey Gateway Bridge and the Silver Jubilee Bridge, both of which are covered by the same merseyflow toll/charging system. They cover October-December 2022, and show:
- Almost 24 million journeys were made across the two bridges during 2022 – this made it the second busiest year for journeys for traffic over the river in Halton since the Mersey Gateway Bridge opened in 2017
- Journey numbers are up and PCN levels are down year on year – quarterly journey numbers for the autumn 2022 period were up by 300,000 compared to 2021, while PCN numbers fell by 5,000
- October and November were the busiest months ever for the new look Silver Jubilee Bridge – and it almost reached the landmark of 1million journeys across the quarter, reaching 980,000
- A record number of journeys were paid for using the merseyflow Quick-Pay app – which now handles over 100,000 payments every month
- Over 97.4% of journeys were paid for on time – the vast majority of people are paying for their journeys by midnight the day after they cross
Mike Bennett, Managing Director of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, said: “It’s reassuring to see that journey levels are continuing to rise year-on-year as we recover from the pandemic and people are resuming their normal activities. Especially as the almost 24 million journeys made over the two bridges in Halton are now much easier and quicker than we’ve been used to in the past. We’re proud that people can rely on the time savings the bridges continue to provide and it’s great to see more people making use of the re-opened Silver Jubilee Bridge as an alternative route across the River Mersey.”
Neil Conway, Chief Executive of merseyflow, said: “The vast majority of crossings over the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges are being paid for on time using our auto pay systems, including our Quick-Pay app, which we can see is continuing to result in a lower number of PCNs being issued. We’re continuing to make improvements to the ways in which our regular customers can manage their plans and we will be roiling these out over the coming year.”
The quarterly merseyflow dashboard provides a range of in-depth statistics and graphs which show information on the number of crossings made, average daily traffic, number of PCNs issued, methods of payment, payments made on time, total revenue, and what percentage of this comes from PCNs.
Cracking success as hundreds of Easter eggs to be delivered to kids in Halton
Hundreds of less fortunate children around Halton will receive Easter treats thanks to the ‘egg-cellent’ success of an annual appeal hosted by the organisations behind the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges.
Hundreds of Easter eggs were collected by tolling operator merseyflow and consortium Merseylink, who kicked off the campaign by donating £500 worth of Easter eggs.
Members of the public, along with merseyflow and Merseylink staff, generously donated chocolate treats to the merseyflow Walk-In Centre in Runcorn throughout March as part of the appeal.
The Easter eggs will be distributed to hundreds of disadvantaged children from some of Halton’s most deprived areas by Halton Children’s Centres in Runcorn and Widnes.
Denise Caldwell, Early Help Officer with Runcorn Children’s Centres, said: “After having to close the appeal to members of the public last year due to covid restrictions, it’s fantastic to see that people still want to help and get involved. I’d like to thank the teams at merseyflow and Merseylink for their generous donations and continued support, every Easter egg donated will be very gratefully received.”
Hugh O’Connor, General Manager for Merseylink, said: “Engaging with charities such as Halton Children’s Centres is very important to us, and we’re pleased to have been able to get involved to brighten up the Easter period for children in the area.”
Helen Williams, Marketing Manager at merseyflow, said: “This year’s Easter Egg appeal has been a smashing success, and I’m thrilled with the amount of donations we’ve received from the public and teams here at merseyflow and Merseylink. We’re pleased to be able to support Halton Children’s Centres and the great work they do for children and families here in Halton.”
Mersey Gateway celebrates four-year anniversary as journey numbers continue to rise
Traffic levels across the river in Halton are almost back to pre-pandemic levels as 14 October marks the fourth anniversary of the Mersey Gateway Bridge opening.
Tolling provider merseyflow is expecting to see two million vehicles making crossings each month across the Mersey Gateway and Silver Jubilee bridges this autumn.
In total, Halton residents, businesses and commuters have made 86.3 million journeys over the River Mersey in Halton since the Mersey Gateway Bridge opened at midnight on 14 October 2017.
The newly-released figures from merseyflow include trips made across both the Mersey Gateway Bridge and the Silver Jubilee Bridge, which re-opened in February this year.
The most recent quarterly figures, which are presented in the latest Mersey Gateway Bridge and Silver Jubilee Bridge dashboard and cover July-September 2021, show:
- Traffic levels in summer were back to 95% of pre-pandemic volumes – this was the busiest quarter since 2019 and the autumn is expected to see two million vehicles a month using the bridges
- An average of just 9,000 vehicles a day use the Silver Jubilee Bridge – far less than the 80,000 vehicles a day it used to carry
- Over 97% of journeys were paid for on time – the vast majority of people are paying for their journeys by midnight the day after they cross
- Over 90% of payments are made through digital or automated channels – www.merseyflow.co.uk, the merseyflow quick pay app and auto top-up options are widely used by customers
- PCNs remain below historical levels from 2018 / 2019 – though they have increased alongside the rise in journey numbers
Mike Bennett, Managing Director of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, said: “As we approach this anniversary it’s worth casting your mind back to remember what crossing the river in Halton was like before the new bridge was developed.”
Mike added: “Before the Mersey Gateway opened, the Silver Jubilee Bridge used to carry all of this traffic – up to 80,000 vehicles a day – through Halton, and it was regularly closed or disrupted by incidents or breakdowns. The split of traffic between the two bridges to accommodate total demand matches what was hoped for and is providing tangible benefits to local residents either side of the Silver Jubilee Bridge whose lives were affected by the traffic conditions on the approaches to it. These approach routes, which have now been removed or simplified, also formed a real barrier to investment and development. Today, we have much more reliable and resilient crossings, with significant extra capacity, it gives people and businesses extra confidence that they can live, work, invest in and travel through Halton without the disruption, delays and uncertainty that we all had to endure when planning to cross the river.”
Neil Conway, Chief Executive of merseyflow, said: “It’s really encouraging that the majority of customers are choosing to pay for their journeys using digital or automated channels, like our auto top-up system or through the merseyflow website and app. We’ve invested significantly to develop and improve these payment options and it’s good to see that customers are finding them useful to make paying for their journeys as simple and easy as possible.”
The quarterly merseyflow dashboard provides a range of in-depth statistics and graphs which show information on the number of crossings made, average daily traffic, number of PCNs issued, methods of payment, payments made on time, total revenue and what percentage of this comes from PCNs.