THE construction of a crossing to tackle congestion misery in Warrington is ‘good to go’ after key pieces of land were acquired.

Enabling work to pave the way for the Centre Park link road started last month.

It has been focused around the decommissioning of the former Furness Rigby car sales plot on Chester Road.

A key part of the authority’s £19.8 million project is a new bridge across the Mersey to connect Chester Road to the town centre, via an extended Slutchers Lane leading from Wilson Patten Street.

It will also see new traffic signal junction arrangements on Chester Road and Wilson Patten Street, along with traffic calming proposals for the Gainsborough Road area.

The scheme is due to be completed in late 2020.

The start of construction work has been subject to the successful acquisition of all land and property needed to build it.

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And during Tuesday’s supporting the local economy policy committee meeting at the Town Hall, members were informed that construction work is ‘good to go’ after the council gained control of the final parcels of land that were not acquired by negotiation.

It comes after the authority enacted its highway compulsory purchase order powers

The project will also bring forward plans to build approximately 465 homes close to the town centre.

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Cllr Bob Barr, leader of the town’s Liberal Democrats, has welcomed the news.

He said: “Congestion, and its associated problems of wasted time and the health effects of air pollution, has been a persistent problem since before the days of the New Town.

“Once that project was cancelled, the planned infrastructure improvements that would have alleviated some of Warrington’s congestion never got built so the problems remain.

“The only solutions are to persuade more travellers to stop using their cars, or to modify the road network to alleviate the worst traffic pinch points.

“The Centre Park link scheme will help.

“Such projects are always controversial but they are essential to make Warrington a more liveable town.”

Warrington South MP Faisal Rashid also welcomed the progress.

He said: “I am routinely contacted by constituents who are frankly fed up with the volume of traffic congestion on our roads.

“My constituents tell me they want to see action taken to tackle the traffic misery.

“The Centre Park link will provide a much-needed additional crossing over the Mersey, connecting Chester Road to the town centre.

“While there is no single solution to the town’s problems with chronic traffic congestion, I hope that this investment in our road infrastructure will relieve pressure on a number of our town centre’s traffic hotspots and, in doing so, help improve the lives of those who find themselves regularly stuck in the traffic.”

Despite positive news on the Centre Park link scheme, council officers have confirmed the authority has ‘no indication’ over when a decision on the Western Link could be made.