Sefton Council approved Balfour Beatty to work on Thornton by-pass

May 21 2009 By Staff Reporter

SEFTON Council has approved a bid from construction giant Balfour Beatty to work with the authority on the proposed £21m Thornton by-pass.

The firm and its partners now plan to begin designing the relief road which will link Thornton with Switch Island.

Subject to final government approval, work could begin at the start of 2012, with the road scheduled to open by early 2013.

Councillors pledged to use local suppliers and labour wherever possible.

Cllr John Fairclough, Sefton's cabinet member for technical services, said: "Although there is still a long way to go, this is another major step towards bringing this vital project to fruition.

"The appointment of a contractor will allow us to get down to the detailed work of planning and designing this scheme which could see construction work start in about two and a half years.

"I can assure residents we will work hard to deliver this link road as quickly and efficiently as possible."