Chancellor pledges start on A57 upgrade
Rachel Reeves said that work will start in the coming weeks on the £250m improvement programme between Manchester and Sheffield, a project in the works for close to half a century.
Reeves’ announcement follows moves in the summer by National Highways and main contractor Balfour Beatty to get the scheme onto the starting blocks for 2025.
First floated in the 1970s, the Mottram Bypass has been the subject of two consultations, one in 2017 and the other in 2020, and is now known as the A57 Link Roads project, including as it does two link roads.
On a visit to the North, Reeves and secretary of state for transport Louise Haigh also examined progress on the Transpennine Route Upgrade programme aiming to cut journey times between Manchester and York via Leeds and Huddersfield.
The ongoing TRU programme has a headline aim of cutting journey times between Manchester and Leeds from 50 to 42 minutes, with up to six fast services every hour. Services from Manchester to York will also be cut by 10 minutes.
The western part of the route has seen an electrification programme improving journey times between Manchester Victoria and Stalybridge.
Once complete, the full 70-mile TRU route will be fully electrified, which the DfT said will help save 87,000 tonnes of carbon each year.
Mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham said: “This major investment in our roads and railways will mean better connections between Greater Manchester and key towns and cities across the Pennines.
“After years of failed promises, it’s a real statement of intent from this new government that will provide quicker, more reliable journeys for millions of people, and help to unlock the enormous potential of the North as an engine for growth.”
To describe the A57 project as “long awaited” would be a severe understatement, but the government said that work will start in the coming weeks, “giving certainty to road users that the scheme and its benefits will finally start to be delivered”.
Reeves said: “Investment in our transport infrastructure is vital to delivering our growth mission. Without improvements to our roads and rail we won’t be able to create jobs and boost business, which is why I prioritised projects like the Transpennine Route Upgrade and the long awaited A57 upgrade in the Budget last week.”
Transport Secretary Louise Haigh said: “Reliable, well-connected transport links are crucial to driving up productivity and unlocking opportunities for jobs, education and businesses across our towns and cities.
“But for too long, the North’s transport infrastructure has been neglected. That’s why I am delighted the Chancellor’s first Budget secured the delivery of two multi-billion-pound projects that will be vital for rail and road journeys across the North of England.”
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Fair play to Burnham, he’s miles ahead of his junior partner down the M62 who talks a good game but little else. Manchester has no problem in pulling on the right funding levers. Rotherham needs a serious review of his senior team to deliver better results, and less focus on unicorn schemes such as tidal.
By Anonymous
As regards the TPR route this is just another disgraceful rehash of previous ‘promises’ with no firm commitment regarding timescales or budget, and no mention of the Liverpool to Manchester upgrade ‘agreed’ by the previous government. Not surprisingly the budget announced plans for the final section of HS rail between Old Oak Common and Euston. New government, same old tune! Full devolution with budget raising powers?
By Anonymous
There is still, in the context of the undeniable climate emergency, no question to which ‘more road space’ is a legimate or justifiable answer.
By the light of the moon
Couldn’t agree more with the 1st comment, it was a thin budget for transport spending, and surprise surprise GM sneaks in a few small scale strategic projects (a57 and more capacity at Victoria). This is how the game is played. And then almost as if it was choreographed there was the announcement of Godley Green housing and Scout Moor windfarm that allows the government to demonstrate some momentum on its other agendas. Down the M6 in Brum it’s not clear Richard Parker is the new Andy Street eithOer.My gut tells me HS2 will live hand-to-mouth in this parliament i.e. Euston got done in this budget, maybe if the economy picks up, Crewe might get the nod in a year or two and then they go into the next election with something that connects Manchester. Meanwhile he gets the green light for Bee Network rail.
By Rich X
This is a smokescreen, for the billions being showered on Euston for HS2. The Tories spent half a billion, doing up Bond Street, for Crossrail. This government is no different. There were no big infrastructure projects, North of Birmingham in the budget. Reeves has a Leeds constituency, but the last Labour government with seats all over the North, ploughed billions into the South East, including Crossrail, which was a totally unnecessary vanity project. That money should have been spent on the TransPennine line 25 years ago. Reeves is pulling the wool over Burnham’s eyes.
By Elephant
Yes totally agree it is a smokescreen for the billions being spent down south
Mid cheshire especially Northwich has had a massive migration of Mancunians plus other greater manchester people all of whom have to work at different greater manchester centres
When is Andy Burnham and the Government going to realise that the Mid cheshire line that goes into Manchester needs to be electrified (its been in Tier 1 for 20 years). 19 miles via the indirect route of
stockport takes 1hr 5 mins – its ridiculous!
plus also the 3.5miles western train link via mobberley to Manchester airport. its been at least 30 years in the waiting! this link would take a massive amount of traffic off the road!
By Northwich
Does this include the two new platforms at Piccadilly?
By Tony Heyes
My main criticism is that it doesn’t do anything for hollingworth, if anything it looks like it will make it worse for trucks attempting to join the woodhead road. Basically there’s a big section missing, and how long will that take to be built, another 50 years?
By Lopez the great
50 years since the M67 opened and they still can’t see that building a road pointing to bulldoze through the Peak District National Park makes no sense. All that was needed was a weight limit to ban HGVs from using the Woodhead Pass at Nine Holes Bridge decades ago and the issue would be sorted. All this does is increase car commuting from Glossop whilst the railway sees no frequency or capacity increase, nor the sensible option of reopening Hadfield to Sheffield. The bypass will fill up with traffic from the new housing and light industrial planned alongside, and we end up sat in the same congestion having spunked £250million. Well done…..
By Charles Ashbury