Work is to start on creating a new dual carriageway for a major route into Liverpool city centre.

National contractor Osborne is to begin widening the A565 (Great Howard Street/Derby Road) this week with a programme of site investigations on the £22m scheme.

Upgrading the route, which handles traffic between Sefton and Liverpool along the northern docks, is also a key element of a £100m regeneration drive in North Liverpool.

The new 2.7km long stretch in the city’s Atlantic corridor is seen as crucial to a new creative village in the area – called Ten Streets and will have spin off benefits for Everton FC’s proposed new stadium at nearby Bramley Moore Dock.

The new dual carriageway, part funded by the Liverpool City Region Growth Deal, will also pave the way for a major revamp of the historic Regent Road – aka “the Dock Road” – to make that more pedestrian and bike friendly, creating a continuous cycle route from Crosby to Liverpool.

Lane restrictions rather than a road closure will be deployed to minimise disruption on the A565, which is also currently having a new £10m bridge created that will enable freight to travel to and from the new £400m Liverpool2 deep water container terminal, which is part of Peel Land and Trust’s £5.5bn Liverpool Waters scheme.

The new dual carriageway, which includes improved paving, traffic signals and street lighting, will complete as follows:

• Phase 1: Leeds Street to Blackstone Street – Road widening phase
• Phase 2: Bankhall Street to Millers Bridge – Road widening phase
• Phase 3: Regent Road from Paisley Street to Nelson Street – New pavement/Resurfacing and cycleway provision phase
• Phase 4: Boundary Street to Everton View – Upgrade of Traffic Signalised junctions and Street lighting with associated resurfacing

Expected to finish by Summer 2019, the works are part of Liverpool City Council’s wider £250m Better Roads programme to improve the city’s road infrastructure and will be complemented by the creation of two new £20m waterfront link roads at the city centre end of the A565, which are being built to support a proposed new Cruise Terminal.

Councillor Malcolm Kennedy, Liverpool’s Cabinet Member for Regeneration, said:

“I’m delighted work is to begin on making the A565 a full dual carriageway. Once complete it will benefit millions of journeys every year and will stimulate the renaissance in our Atlantic Corridor. I’m especially excited by the fact that this scheme will give Regent Road a completely new lease of life. This will greatly benefit the Ten Streets creativity zone as well as Everton’s plans for their new stadium.”