Ambitious plans for a 9km walking and cycling route in Halton has been given the go ahead.

The combined authority of the Liverpool City Region – of which Halton is a member – has rubber stamped the  new green travel link between Runcorn and the Sci-Tech Daresbury innovation campus.

As well as linking to new housing developments, the scheme will also be fully integrated with Runcorn Station Quarter, an ambitious sustainable transport project delivering improved access to the Key West Coast Mainline station as well as the nearby Bridgewater Canal and Runcorn Old Town centre.

The £5.9m project – which has been funded by the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, delivered in partnership with Halton Borough Council – will see the creation of new segregated cycle lanes and traffic free roads and link some existing off-road cycle paths to make a continuous 9km route from Bridge Street in Runcorn right though to Daresbury.

The investment will include the construction of new crossings and upgraded junctions, as well as the installation of more than 50 columns of LED street lighting. Work on the project could begin as early as next month.

Once completed the route will enable people to take cycle journeys on dedicated active travel routes from Widnes to Daresbury for the first time.

The route is a part of Mayor Steve Rotheram’s £30m investment in active travel infrastructure across all six boroughs of the Liverpool City Region – Halton, Knowsley, Liverpool, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral. The Combined Authority recently secured a further £12m to invest in green travel routes.

Cllr Stef Nelson, Halton Borough Council’s portfolio holder for Highways and Transportation, said: “This is an important route within Halton, identified through the Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, linking areas of significant employment to the town centre, the mainline station and the wider area, opening up opportunities for access to skilled jobs by low carbon, active modes of transport.

“It will also complement other active travel schemes in the area such as the recently completed Silver Jubilee Bridge, Runcorn Station Quarter and Halton Lea Busway routes.”

Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, added:

“Being a member of the Liverpool City Region means that Halton can benefit from region-wide investment.

"We’re targeting investment directly into projects like this that might not otherwise have been possible.”