There was a record 6.35 million journeys across the Mersey in Halton between April and June, the highest number since the Mersey Gateway Bridge opened in 2017.

The newly-released quarterly figures from tolls operator Merseyflow include trips made across both the Mersey Gateway Bridge and the Silver Jubilee Bridge, both of which are covered by the same charging system.

Bridge bosses also confirmed the Silver Jubilee Bridge will reopen fully in early July and expect traffic levels to rise again.

The figures show:

  • A record number of crossings made over the River Mersey in Halton – a total of 6.35 million journeys recorded across both bridges between April-June, the highest quarterly figure since the Mersey Gateway Bridge opened.
  • May and June 2023 were the busiest months for the Mersey Gateway Bridge in more than three years - with more than 1,980,000 journeys made across the bridge in each month, the highest since November, 2019.
  • More registered drivers are using the auto top-up system.
  • App use for journey payments is on the rise - more than 132,000 transactions were made using the Merseyflow QuickPay app last month, the highest number recorded to date.
  • More than 97 per cent of journeys were paid for on time.

Mike Bennett, managing director of the Mersey Gateway Crossings Board, said: "With the Silver Jubilee Bridge reopening fully from July 7, we’re expecting traffic levels to return to normal, with a larger proportion of customers being able to travel across the Silver Jubilee Bridge in coming months.

"However, journey numbers as a whole are increasing and it’s reassuring to see the vast majority paying for their crossings on time.”

Neil Conway, Chief Executive of Merseyflow, added: “It’s good to see more registered customers are choosing our easy auto top-up system pay for their crossings by direct debit and minimise the risk of receiving a penalty charge notice."