THE Mersey Gateway Project is celebrating its 10,000th visitor since the centre opened in Widnes in February 2015.

The site at Catalyst Science Discovery Centre on Mersey Road tells the story of Halton’s iconic bridge and road project and has been very popular with residents.

Displays include ancient bottles unearthed at Ditton roundabout, interactive exhibits and samples of construction materials.

The centre also has incredible views of the River Mersey and the building project.

Jill Doyle, communications manager at Merseylink, said: “The project has generated a huge amount of interest from local people and those living further afield; some from as far away as the USA and Australia.

“Achieving our 10,000th visitor is a very exciting occasion so we decided to celebrate by offering people the chance to win a special tour of the project site.”

A social media campaign inviting visitors to share their views was launched and the contest was won by Rebecca Jones from Halebank who will receive a personal tour of the project.

She said: “I was over the moon to find out I had won the competition. I am really looking forward to the tour to see the progress being made on the new bridge as it is history in the making.”

There is a second exhibition at Runcorn Shopping Centre and both sites are free to visit.

One visitor, John McClure from Widnes, said: “It’s well worth a visit with excellent information and friendly staff. If you want to find out about the new bridge this is the place to come.”

The Widnes centre is open 10am to 4pm, Tuesday to Sunday and the Runcorn centre is open 10am to 4pm, Monday to Friday.

The new bridge is on track to open in the autumn of 2017 and for more information visit merseygateway.co.uk/visitor-centres.