The Mersey Gateway Crossings Board Ltd will deliver the project and is looking for people – including a construction director - to help it oversee the project.

The centrepiece of the Mersey Gateway Project is a new six-lane toll bridge over the River Mersey. The value of the construction phase of the project, including land, is estimated at US$967m. Its features will include a 1,000m-long cable stay bridge consisting of four spans supported from three towers in the estuary. The 120m-high central tower will be shorter than the two 140m-high outer towers.

The board’s operational role will begin when the council reaches financial close with the preferred bidder – the Merseylink consortium – which will be responsible for designing, building, financing and operating the project. This is expected to take place early in 2014.

Existing Mersey Gateway project director Steve Nicholson, who has overseen the development of the project over the past six years, will work closely with the board, as will David Parr, the council’s chief executive.

The Crossings Board has started advertising for five senior new positions as part of the expected 30-strong team, which will also retain a number of key staff from the development phase to ensure continuity. It is looking for a construction director, contracts manager, technical manager, performance manager and review manager.

Councillor Rob Polhill, leader of Halton Borough Council, said: “I am pleased that Steve Nicholson will be staying with the project and working with the Council’s chief executive David Parr. Both have played a key role in leading the project through negotiations with Government and in delivering the procurement process, which is on track to save tens of millions of pounds on the projected cost of Mersey Gateway.”

Steve Nicholson said: “The people who join the Board as part of this recruitment drive will be key players in ensuring we deliver this high-profile infrastructure project. Mersey Gateway will be a major catalyst for growth in the north west economy, and this year was listed as one of the top 100 infrastructure projects in the world, so we’re expecting high levels of interest and looking forward to meeting some exceptional candidates.”

Full details of the posts are available at www.merseygateway.co.uk/work-for-us/.