HALTON residents and commuters can keep up to date with the construction of the £600 million Mersey Gateway at the click of a button.

New interactive features are now available on the bridge’s website.

Drivers can view ‘Down Your Street’, a series of interactive maps showing the latest information about roadworks.

A live image gallery features photographs from a camera at the construction site.

Halton Council leader, Clr Rob Polhill, said: "This innovative use of technology not only provides Halton residents and the wider world with the opportunity to watch our new bridge being built, it also enables us to capture these historic moments for posterity.

“I, for one, will be watching with interest."

The interactive maps focus on nine areas across the project route and show how residents could be affected by roadworks, tree clearance, and other essential works.

New pictures and plans will be constantly updated to keep people informed during the construction project until the new bridge opens in 2017.

The live image gallery provides regular snapshots of the bridge construction from a newly installed time-lapse camera located on the Widnes side of the river.

A further camera will be installed at a location in Runcorn at a later date.

The camera is programmed to take photographs of the site every few minutes, providing the public with the opportunity to watch the bridge being built in real time.

Using this technique will allow Merseylink to create a series of short films documenting the bridge construction.

These new digital features have been developed by Merseylink as part of the construction consortium's commitment to keep local people informed about the three-and-a-half year bridge project.

Hugh O'Connor, general manager at Merseylink, said: "Work will take place right across the borough of Halton during the next three years.

“As well as the main bridge, there are also many other sites where Merseylink construction teams will be active.

“Using Down Your Street means we can share any potential impact with local residents as soon as possible and keep them informed of our plans throughout the project."

 Visit merseygateway.co.uk to view Down Your Street and the live image gallery.