Balfour Beatty has this week commenced construction on a £19m scheme to bypass two congested villages and link communities in Sefton along the west coast of Merseyside directly to the M57 and M58 motorways.

The road will be 4.5km long and connect the A565 Southport Road to the motorway junction at Switch Island, avoiding the villages of Thornton and Netherton.

The newly designated A5758 Broom's Cross Road will relieve long-standing traffic issues in the area and provide local environmental improvements, especially in terms of noise and air quality for impacted local communities.

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The A5758 project will also be built to the latest environmental standards, involving the creation of four new ponds for wildlife and more than 2km of new footpaths. Balfour Beatty will be using recycled and secondary materials wherever possible in the construction.

Balfour Beatty is working with the 'Sefton@Work' organisation to provide previously unemployed local people with an opportunity to gain experience in construction.

Councillor Peter Dowd, Leader of Sefton Council, said: "This is a landmark moment in the history of Sefton and will reduce journey times for thousands of motorists every day while reducing congestion in the communities of Netherton and Thornton. We look forward to working with Balfour Beatty to deliver this new road solution for the people of Sefton."

(CD/JP)