Liverpool City Council has selected eight firms for £850m highways framework to accelerate upgrades across the city.

The four-year Highways Planned Works Framework aims to streamline procurement and deliver a pipeline of resurfacing, active travel, bridge and signal works more efficiently.

Firms have been split into two value bands for projects up to £1.5m and for jobs over that threshold.

The framework supports Liverpool’s City and Transport Plans, which prioritise active travel and sustainable transport.

The highways investment programme has already resurfaced over 100,000 sq m of roads and installed more than 100 tactile crossings.

Work starts next week on a full revamp of Princess Drive in West Derby.

Separately, Dowhigh and HA Civils have been handed a £13m highways maintenance contract running up to five years.