Work to start on Mottram Bypass next year
After more than 50 years in gestation, National Highways and main contractor Balfour Beatty are gearing up to commence construction on two link roads to help alleviate congestion on the Manchester to Sheffield route.
The road to get to this point has been long and full of obstacles. The Mottram Bypass was first floated in the 1970s. It was the subject of two consultations, one in 2017 and the other in 2020.
The finalised project is known as the A57 Link Roads project. It includes the creation of two link roads: the dual carriageway Mottram Moor Link Road, which will connect Junction 4 of the M67 with a new junction on the A57 at Mottram Moor, and the single carriageway A57 Link Road, which will link from that A57 Mottram Moor junction to a new junction on the A57 at Woolley Bridge.
After getting a development consent order in 2022, the project underwent a legal challenge regarding its cumulative carbon assessment and impact the scheme would have on Green Belt. Both of those issues were dismissed in February of this year.
And now work can finally get going. National Highways issued an update on the project stating that it was setting up the site compound for the construction works this summer, with main construction to begin in early 2025.
The National Highways team is holding a series of open meetings to discuss the plans and the work this month. You can find information for each below:
- 24 July, 2pm-7pm: The Community Room at St Mary’s Church, Market Street, Hollingworth
- 25 July, 3pm-6pm: Round Table Hall at Bradbury Community Hall, Market Street, Glossop
- 27 July, 10am-2pm: The Community Room at St Mary’s Church, Market Street, Hollingworth
The old Hyde Road must be modally filtered near the roundabout or the crossroads will be just as congested as they are now.
By Flixton resident
About time! It’s only taken 50 years to get to this point. We could have been here long ago if local politicians, in both Tameside and Bigh Peak, had done their job properly and lobbied government to get this vital piece of infrastructure built. The residents of Mottram, Hollingsworth Tintwistle and Glossop Dale have every right to feel let down by those that represent them and who will no doubt crow on about how they have deliveredfor them!
By Grumpy Old Git
In the existential context of the climate emergency there is no question to which more road capacity is the correct answer.
By and by
Linking an greate economic area of millions N.Cheshire, Man/Liv, South Lancs with another economic area of millions Sheffield, S. Yorks, N. Lincs, Notts via a 20 mile motorway with 6 mile tunnel under the moors is unaffordable for this impoverished country, I guess. Our Victorian forebears would be ashamed of our short-sightedness and weak will.
By Anonymous
The re-opening of Woodhead now needs looking at too.
By Heritage Action
It truly great to see a very expensive band aid to sort a 50 plus years old problem, this will cover up the real problem of this rat run between Manchester and Yorkshire for a few months.
By G Town Resident
Little more than kicking the can (congestion) down the road. If they can waste billions on HS2, then a couple more to extend the M67 to the Flouch or better still to the M1 shouldn’t be that difficult
By Truck Driver
Needs doing so urgently- Manchester and Sheffield are huge cities and the road connectivity is not acceptable- no way this dire situation would have been accepted down South or even in Scotland – why is the north treated so badly??
By Stuart
I was born in 1963 and they were discussing this when I was at Primary School. This is beyond ridiculous. In answer to Stuart, it isn’t only recently we have been treated like second class citizens in our own country, this has been going on for centuries.
By Elephant
Do folk know this. there is an electric railway all the way to Longdendale. It already has room for four tracks for 5 miles from Man Piccadilly to Guide Bridge. And the railroad to Woodhead still exists. There is no excuse for re-opening the Woodhead Tunnel. As the great national economist Keynes said “If you can do it, you can afford it.” All the UK government need to do is issue a credit note, just like banks do. Really, that is true!
By Anonymous
The poor people of Hollingworth and Tintwistle get nothing from this scheme except more pollution . What an absolute disgrace.
By David Johnson
About time.
By Angelfire
Can’t see this having a positive impact on the noise and air pollution in our village. The amount of huge vehicles which choose this inappropriate route rather than the motorways because the motorways are too congested will only increase as a consequence of this bypass.
By Mr G. Cross
I cant see this helping the Woodhead problem and the A57 is currently closed to HGV over Snake…….
By Gordon
Glossop town centre will be a NIGHTMARE!
By Anonymous
50 years to late get on with it.
By phill booth