The council’s short-term aim is to secure funding for a new study to see how congestion can be relieved and access to the port improved.

Cllr Robertson said: "As it was clearly going to cost so much to do the project, which at face value was going to be hugely controversial, we thought the most sensible thing to do was look at it again."

He said the regional transport board had agreed the whole project needed re-evaluating.

Cllr Robertson added: "My view is that we are starting with a blank piece of paper again.

"It is on ice – wWe do not really see it offering a sustainable solution at the moment.

"I do not know where this will take us. I am keeping an open mind.

"We need to make sure the port is an economic success, but that we do it in an environmental way.

"The money for the project is still in the regional allocation."

The scheme already has "priority status" from the North West transport board.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: "There is no work being done at the moment working up the project because the North West transport board wanted to do a multi-modal review to check it is still the best solution for the problem.

"We will await the outcome of this review.

"The road still remains one of the prioritised schemes and is still scheduled for construction to start around 2014. This is all subject to further discussions though."