A MAJOR £2.8m project to repair junction 2 of the M53 began today.

Long-awaited work on the lanes at Moreton is expected to take up to four months to complete.

Highways Agency spokeswoman Louise Baxendale said: “We are delivering on a promise we made to local people to resolve the long-running issue and re-open the junction to all traffic and restore two lanes and the hard shoulder to the slip roads.

“Needless to say, there will be some disruption to journeys while we carry out the work but we have been working closely with partners like Wirral Council, Merseytravel and the police to agree timings and suitable diversion routes.”

The work includes renewing two new bridges which carry the junction slips roads over the main motorway carriageway.

Drivers are being advised that the southbound exit and entry slip roads will close to all traffic for around 16 and 12 weeks respectively.

The northbound slip roads will also need to be closed overnight at times and there will be at least two full weekend closures of the main motorway carriageway to allow the bridge structures to be removed and replaced safely.

A 50mph speed limit and narrowed lanes will be in place in both directions along the M53 through junction 2.

Councillor Stuart Whittingham, council cabinet member for transport, said: “We have been working with the Highways Agency to ensure that disruption to people travelling in and through the borough is kept to a minimum while these works take place.

"However, some inconvenience is inevitable which is why we’re urging motorists to heed the advice and information which is being issued and be patient while they are asked to follow the marked diversion routes.”

The existing slip road bridges have weakened with age and in August of 2011, a maximum weight limit of 7.5 tonnes was introduced and the link road reduce to a single lane.

The bridges must be strengthened to re-open the link road with to its full capacity of two running lanes and a hard shoulder.