£20m Thornton-Switch Island link road could be moved

May 14 2009 by Ben Schofield, Maghull and Aintree Star

THE long-awaited £20m Thornton-Switch Island link road could be moved 40metres from its original path.

Thornton Parish Council and nearby homeowners are close to winning their battle to shift the road away from their homes.

Decision makers are also on the edge of awarding the contract to one of four companies bidding to build the road.

The Department for Transport finally gave the link road the green light in September, 2008.

A similar scheme was shelved in the 1990s, but campaigners managed to resurrect the plans in 2006. They hope it will bring much-needed relief to congested roads in south Sefton.

The borough’s ruling cabinet is being advised to nod through a realignment of the link that will see it run closer to the current path of Back Lane, Thornton.

The new route will be adjacent to Back Lane for some of the road’s length, but straddle it at its western end.

But a report into the proposal warns against simply running the new road over the existing Back Lane.