It could one day be possible to walk or cycle over the River Mersey , according to universities academics.
New designs released by researchers show how a barrage could connect Liverpool with Wirral on a route that may also include a monorail.
This week, a paper published by leading tidal energy expert at Lancaster University, Professor George Aggidis, argues that tidal barriers intended to create clean energy and environmental benefits could also provide other perks for local people.
The vision includes new transport and leisure links from Port Sunlight on the Wirral to Festival Gardens on the Liverpool side - with new walking and cycle paths and a monorail for commuters, BusinessLive reports.
A similar plan for a barrage between New Ferry and Dingle was scrapped at the start of the decade due to high construction costs.
But the academics believe the idea could be considered once more, and that if built, it would have the potential to become a "globally identifiable piece of architectural infrastructure - a hydropower landmark boosting tourism to the region".
The concept, which researchers from the University of Liverpool also had a hand in creating, is based on the shape of a whale and includes buildings and platforms for recreation in the centre of the river.
Prof Aggidis said: “We need to view tidal energy projects holistically and recognise that they provide opportunities beyond energy generation, including environmental, societal and economic opportunities.
“The UK is uniquely positioned to benefit from tidal power, but so far no schemes have managed to get off the drawing board.
"By considering the needs of people, and the need to create compensatory habitats for wildlife, organic architectural designs like ours show how developers can enhance, rather than detract, from estuaries like the Mersey ."
Aside from boarding a Mersey Ferry, there is currently no route for pedestrians across the river - with the Birkenhead and Wallasey tunnels - and the Mersey Gateway Bridge in Halton - not open to cyclists or walkers.
The proposals would see a barrage, like the one connecting Cardiff Bay with Penarth in South Wales, constructed.
According to the researchers, barrage schemes can provide additional transport links for commuters, become tourism destinations, mitigate wildlife habitat loss, boost people’s health and wellbeing with additional options for cycling and walking.
The Mersey estuary has one of the largest tidal ranges in the UK, and researchers developed the design to illustrate how developers can apply a "novel decision-making framework for tidal schemes" called the ‘North West Hydro Resource Model’.
The model, developed by academics at Lancaster University’s Engineering Department, includes a range of factors that should be considered for tidal scheme designs, including energy generation, land use, flood risk, transport, tourism and job creation.
Earlier this year, it was revealed that the Mersey Tidal project, run by Metro Mayor Steve Rotheram, is to enter its next phase.
In May, Mayor Rotheram said the city region could become a "world leader in tidal power". He said an outline business case was being drawn up, with the entire multi-billion pound project hoped to create "thousands" of local jobs in its construction, and "well into the future".
Prof Aggidis added: “Tidal barrages and lagoons can offer significant advantages over other sources of renewable power – we need to keep these additional opportunities in mind when comparing the costs and benefits of different forms of energy generation."
Researchers say that with the right design, a Mersey barrage has the potential to become a globally identifiable piece of architectural infrastructure – a ‘hydropower landmark’ boosting tourism to the region.
As well as transport links, the plan includes a world-leading centre for hydropower research, which it's argued would further enhance the region’s excellence in science and innovation, support education into the technology.
One of the main obstacles to tidal projects, the research found, in addition to relatively high initial capital costs, is the perceived impact on the habitat of existing wildlife within estuaries.
The researchers believe any Mersey tidal project would need to offer alternative habitat to compensate for losses to existing mud flats – which are a major feeding ground for migratory birds.
However, they argue that concerns about impact to existing wildlife needs to be balanced against future environmental challenges.
Professor Aggidis said: “As with hydropower dams, tidal barrages could have a major impact on local environments, with concerns over biodiversity.
"Steps would need to be taken to balance the negative environmental impact against the potential to protect against flooding from future sea-level rises caused by global warming.
“We recognise that the total area of intertidal mud-flats that would be lost cannot be replaced.
"To compensate for the negative ecological effects of the barrage, wildlife will be integrated into the core of the design, which provide habitats to encourage increases in the variety of biodiversity on the Mersey estuary.”
The researchers have outlined their whale design in the paper ‘Opportunities for tidal range projects beyond energy generation: using Mersey barrage as a case study’, which was published on Tuesday in the journal Frontiers of Architectural Research.
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